


The Audi Was Exactly Where Robert Left It

by shamelessurbanbunny



Series: In Which the Audi Was Never Stolen [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blow Jobs, Eventual Smut, Feelings, First Kiss, M/M, Masturbation, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:03:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 61,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6905662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamelessurbanbunny/pseuds/shamelessurbanbunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Ross never stole Robert's car? Lawrence would have continued to sabotage Robert's engagement with Chrissie, and Robert would never have had the leverage needed to blackmail Aaron and Ross into robbing Home Farm. AU where the boys meet under slightly better circumstances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

19 November 2014

“The job’s mine?”

Robert gaped, as shocked as Nicola sounded when she asked that question. Lawrence was seriously giving her the job? She wasn’t qualified to be the Estate Manager! Fine, maybe he should have expected Lawrence to make things difficult by refusing him the position, even though Robert was clearly the best person for the job. But to give it away to Nicola? It would have been better if Lawrence had left the position empty and dangled it over Robert’s head.

Giving the job to Nicola was not just a bad business move, it was a slap in Robert’s face. He could feel his cheeks reddening with humiliation. Here they all were, sitting in the cafe where Bob and Brenda - two of Emmerdale’s biggest gossips - could overhear everything and start telling the news to every punter that came in for coffee today. Robert could feel his fiancee grip his bicep, trying to comfort him as they both watched Nicola stutter her acceptance. Chrissie’s quiet support was not enough to tamp down the rage bubbling up inside of him.

It was too much to tolerate when Jimmy reached out and hugged Nicola, congratulating his wife. Chrissie was the one who should have been congratulating Robert right now. Lawrence was just carrying on their feud! The old man was angry that Robert was going to marry his daughter because he thought Robert wasn’t good enough, and he was trying his hardest to split them up. He had faked a heart attack to postpone their wedding back in May. Now he was bent on antagonizing Robert, trying to scare him off. He’d even stooped so low as to fake heart palpitations during the memorial Robert had arranged for his mother, interrupting them and forcing Chrissie to abandon him when he needed her support.

And yes, Robert had retaliated, but how could he not? He had to defend himself. And Chrissie didn’t seem inclined to jump in and argue on Robert’s behalf. She was just going to let her dad do as he pleased, despite the complete and utter unfairness of it! What’s more, she never believed Robert when he tried to tell her the truth - that her dad was a conniving old man intent on splitting them up. Time and time again, she fell for Lawrence’s lies, and told Robert that he was overreacting, or misinterpreting the situation.

This, though, was going too far. He had earned the position of Estate Manager. He’d worked long and hard, and he knew that if Lawrence hadn’t been sour about Robert’s relationship with Chrissie, the old man would have immediately given him the job. Robert had been so certain that Lawrence would set aside their feud to hire the better candidate that he had given up his previous position in the company. He was now unemployed, and until he found something else or Lawrence came to his senses, Robert would be living off whatever scraps the Whites tossed his way.

This was not acceptable.

Robert pulled away from Chrissie’s grip on his arm and stood. Frustrated, he turned his back on Nicola and Lawrence to face his fiancee. Chrissie had lowered her eyes, unable to meet his angry gaze. “You expect me to sit here and take this?” he demanded, glancing over his shoulder at Lawrence so there would be no doubt what he was talking about. When he turned back, Chrissie was looking up at him. Shame was written all over her pretty face, but she remained silent. “Oh, come on, even you can’t defend him!”

He walked out of the cafe without looking back. Not that he needed to. Chrissie never called his name, or asked him to come back. Somehow, unbelievably, she was siding with her dad. Again.

Robert walked over to the pub, needing a stiff drink. The Woolie was dark inside, fitting his mood better than the bright sunshine of the warm autumn day. Instead of Diane standing behind the bar fixing drinks, he spotted his stepmother’s sister, Val, helping herself. “Does Diane know you’re drinking her dry?” he called out as he crossed the room to the bar, watching Val sip free booze. Robert sat down on one of the bar stools and slapped down the keys to his Audi. “Bourbon. Make it a large one.”

“Who’s rattled your cage today?” she wondered as she went about getting his drink.

Robert took a deep breath, trying to manage the seething frustration he felt inside. “Nicola got the Estate Manager’s gig,” he said. “So I’m effectively unemployed!”

Val poured some bourbon into a mixing glass and turned to face him as she capped the bottle. “Perhaps you should have tried impressing Lawrence instead of winding him up all the time!” she suggested. Her tone was not unkind, however, just matter of fact. Robert was not offended, and he watched her put down the bottle of bourbon and pick up the mixing glass. She poured his drink into a tumbler as she asked, “How is he now?”

She was, of course, referring to the alleged heart palpitations the old man had experienced during the memorial. Robert huffed, shaking his head angrily. “Oh, he’s made a miraculous recovery! Then again, he does suffer from selective heart failure!”

Val gasped, giving him a dramatically shocked look as she walked over with his drink. “That’s a terrible thing to say!”

“Says the woman who apparently faked her husband’s death to get back at Rodney?” he asked. He knew Val. It would take Robert saying something a lot worse to shock her for real. She thrived on drama and gossip. She was probably loving every moment of this conversation.

“I did not fake it,” she explained as a young man walked up to the bar and stood next to Robert. “I never fake it! I merely exploited an opportunity. And anyway, he deserved it.”

Robert gestured at Val’s drink and said, “Yeah, well stick that on my tab too, if you like. That is, if you can bring yourself to freeload off me,” he teased.

“I’ll slum it,” she said, raising her glass to him. She walked away, calling out over her shoulder to the bloke standing next to Robert. “Be with you in a sec- if I can be bothered!”

Robert grabbed his phone from his pocket to check his messages as the man tossed his jacket onto the bar. “Oh, no rush. I just wanted a Coke. I’m driving.”

To Robert’s disappointment, Chrissie had not called or texted him since he left the cafe. She knew how much the Estate Manager’s position had mattered to him, and still she was being like this. She was playing into Lawrence’s hands, and couldn’t even see it! Sighing, Robert shifted his arm to put his phone back in his pocket, unintentionally knocking the bloke’s jacket off the counter where it rested between them.

“Watch it!” the man said, bending down quickly to retrieve the black jacket from the floor.

“My mistake,” Robert responded, eyeing the man. He looked flustered, and over such a little thing! Grabbing his keys and drink from the bar, Robert said, “You may as well add his Coke to my tab as well, Val. And bring me another bourbon when you have a chance, yeah?” Nodding to the bearded man, Robert made his way over to a quiet booth. There, he sat and drank, seething over the situation with Lawrence and Chrissie. Somehow, he had to find a way to make Lawrence pay for the humiliation of this afternoon! All he needed was a plan…

*****

If Robert came up with a real plan after spending the afternoon at the pub, it was lost under the haze of alcohol. By the time he staggered out of the Woolpack, his only thought was to find Lawrence and somehow show him who he was really dealing with. Chrissie’s car was gone, so he knew they had to have gone back to Home Farm. Robert’s white Audi was exactly where he’d left it in front of the cafe. He stumbled to his car and got in. It took several attempts to get the key in the ignition, and that should have been enough to show him he was too plastered to drive, let alone confront Lawrence. But, as is often the case when large amounts of bourbon are involved, reason took a backseat to impulse.

Robert couldn’t think past his own anger. He wanted revenge, and he wanted it now. He started the car and floored it, going 0 to 60 in scant seconds, leaving behind the smell of burning rubber and the sound of angry pedestrians hollering at him.

He nearly drove off the road several times, but somehow he made it safely to Home Farm. Robert turned the car off and threw open the door so he could weave his way to the house. He struggled with the doorknob, and fell inside when someone took pity on him and pulled it open. The door had been propping him up, so when it suddenly opened, Robert fell forward. Right at Lawrence’s feet.

“Well, well, look who decided to show his face,” Lawrence muttered, nudging Robert’s prone form with the toe of his shoe. “Chrissie!” Lawrence called out, raising his voice.

“Robert!” he heard his fiancee gasp. Then he felt her small hands on him, trying to lift him up. Between her efforts and his own uncoordinated struggles, Robert eventually made it to his feet. “Robert, are you alright?” Chrissie asked, concerned. She wedged herself under his arm, helping him keep his feet.

“Never better.”

“Well, you smell like someone doused you with a bottle of liquor!”

“Doused him?” Lawrence asked. “He looks like he drank the entire bottle. Really, Robert, if this is how you take disappointment, I’m doing you a favor. The Estate Manager has to be able to handle tough situations professionally.” Robert glared at him.

“That’s hardly fair, Dad!” Chrissie protested.

“Oh, finally sticking up for me?” Robert asked, pulling away from her.

“Robert…” she warned. She was using her mom voice, like he was a child acting out. It was the same tone she used on Lachlan when he was being a brat. It wasn’t how a woman should be speaking to her fiance.

“No!” Robert shouted at her, before she could say anything else. Chrissie stared at him, blue eyes wide with shock. “I’m tired of you always taking his side. Why can’t you just see he’s trying to get between us?”

“Because he’s my dad, and I know he wants me to be happy!” Chrissie told him.

“Of course I do!” Lawrence assured her, coming to stand beside her. The little weasel.

Lachlan came down the stairs to join them in the foyer, standing near Lawrence and Chrissie. “Is everything alright?” he asked. Robert didn’t miss the way the boy’s eyes went from face to face, drinking in the tension with an unhealthy interest. The boy was a creep. Yet another thing Chrissie was blind to.

“Robert’s just had a bit too much to drink,” Chrissie reassured her son. “Why don’t you go back upstairs and do your homework?”

“All done!” he said quickly. “I’m not missing out on this!”

“Lucky!” she said warningly- the same tone she had used on Robert just moments before.

“No, no, let him stay,” Robert said. “He deserves to know what a liar his grandfather is. Come on Lawrence, we both know you faked your heart attack! Just admit it, you pathetic old poof!”

“Robert, that’s enough!” Chrissie yelled, pressing her hand supportively against her father’s arm. The three of them stood together against him. Robert rolled his eyes at the sight. What else was new?

“No, I want to hear what he has to say,” Lawrence told her. “Go on, Robert. What other names do you want to call me? What other accusations are you going to throw at me?” Lawrence looked almost gleeful as he stood there between Chrissie and Lachlan. “We all know what this really is, don’t we, Robert?” he asked, making Robert furious at how calm and collected he sounded. “You’re just throwing a tantrum because I wouldn’t hire you back. You’re pathetic!”

The bourbon was making his thoughts sluggish, and he couldn’t find words to fight back. Robert preferred to fight with words, but tonight he pulled his fist back and swung at Lawrence’s face. He closed his eyes as his knuckles connected, unprepared for the pain that shot up his arm as the blow landed.

“Take that!” Robert yelled, opening his eyes to glare down at the old man.

Only it was Lachlan sprawled on the floor, out cold. Robert stared at the boy, mouth hanging open as he tried to figure out what had happened.

“Oh my God, Lucky!” Chrissie screamed, falling down to her knees beside her son.

“What is wrong with you?” Lawrence demanded, glaring at Robert as he bent down to try and revive the boy.

“I don’t understand,” Robert said, numb. He had swung at Lawrence, not Lachlan!

“Well, don’t just stand there!” Chrissie screeched. “Do something! Call an ambulance!”

“There’s no need,” Lawrence told her, slapping the boy lightly on the cheek to bring him around. “He’ll have one hell of a bruise, but he’ll be fine. Come on, lad, come out of it. That’s a good boy!” Robert watched uncomprehendingly as Lachlan stirred, eyes unfocused as they opened.

“Granddad?” he whispered.

“That was a brave thing you did, stepping in front of me,” Lawrence told him, helping the boy sit up.

“Lucky, are you alright?” Chrissie asked, hugging her son tightly as tears ran down her face.

“Yeah,” he said, sounding dazed. “I couldn’t let him hit Granddad, could I?”

“I’m sorry,” Robert said, stumbling forward to help.

“No, Robert, just leave!” Chrissie yelled.

“Chrissie…”

“No! I’ve had enough! Just get out of here. I can’t even stand the sight of you right now!”

“You don’t mean it,” Robert insisted.

“I do! I’m tired of your wild accusations. Why can’t you just accept that my father is ill? He had a heart attack, Robert.”

“But he didn’t!” Robert shouted, frustrated.

“He did! You were going to strike a sick man. You’re not the person I thought you were, if you can do that. Just get out. Get out!” she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Seeing no other choice, Robert made his way back to his car. He passed out before he could start it and try to make it back to the village.


	2. Chapter 2

20 November 2014

It was already afternoon by the time Robert woke up. His hangover was almost enough to make him wish he was dead. It didn’t help that he’d slept in an awkward position, and his neck was stiff and sore. Robert got out of his car and made his way back inside. He took about three steps into the house before Chrissie was on him. She wasn’t interested in hearing him out, or at least letting him freshen up and grab some painkillers. She just handed him a bag of his stuff and sent him right back out.

This time, at least, he couldn’t exactly blame her for not taking his side. He’d smacked her son, after all. So Robert left without pushing his luck. The only place he could think to go was the pub. Diane had a spare room that he was hoping she’d lend him for a few nights.

He made his miserable way into the Woolpack and took a seat at the bar, clutching his head wretchedly. Chas was working today, and she came over to check on him once he sat down. “You look like something left for dead on the side of the road!” she said, sounding much too delighted by that. “Rough night?”

“Is Diane about?” he asked, ignoring the question.

“She should be back soon. Can I get you anything while you wait?”

“Water, please,” he said, the mere thought of alcohol making him want to vomit.

“Hungover are we?” she asked gleefully. She thankfully did not say anything more to him as she got him a water. That was maybe because she was distracted by the appearance of a young man. For a moment, Robert thought it was the same bearded man that had stood beside him at the bar yesterday, but a second glance showed that the resemblance was just superficial. They both had brown hair and scruff, but this man was maybe a bit shorter than the one from yesterday, and more solidly built. Paddy Kirk, the vet, came in with him and stopped next to Robert while the young man took a seat at a booth. 

“Can you pour us two pints?” Paddy asked Chas.

“Course!” she said, getting right on it. Robert found himself glancing over at the mysterious young man, wondering who he was. He was relaxing in his seat, staring up at the ceiling with his arms crossed as he waited on Paddy. Anyone who could get Chas to stop being insufferably irritating just by walking into the room was someone Robert needed to get to know. 

Diane came in as Chas poured the pints for Paddy. She spotted him immediately and came to stand by him. “You don’t look like you slept at all! Are you alright, love?” Diane asked.

“Just hungover,” he assured her, taking a small sip of water in an effort to hydrate himself.

“Did you and Chrissie have a fight?” she asked perceptively.

Robert almost denied it, instinctively wanting to hide any weaknesses. Especially with Chas standing behind the bar, clearly listening in. “I’m afraid I’ve made a mess of things,” he admitted.

“You’d better come around to the back.” He followed his stepmother as she made her way around the bar to the door that lead to the back room. “I’ll make us a brew, shall I?” Diane asked as they went through and headed for the kitchen. Robert sank down into one of the chairs at the kitchen table as she put the kettle on. She fixed up two cups, then sat down across from him and regarded him with kind eyes. “So you want to tell me what’s troubling you?”

“I was wondering if I could stay here for a bit?” Robert asked. “Just until I figure out where I stand with Chrissie?”

“Of course!” Diane agreed immediately. “But this sounds serious, love. Has she thrown you out?”

“Yes, but I don’t think it’ll be for long. I just need to apologize for my behavior the other night. I came home drunk and made a fool of myself.”

“That happens at some point to nearly all of us,” Diane assured him, reaching out to pat Robert’s arm. “If that’s all it is, I’m sure she’ll come around soon enough.”

He’d have preferred to leave it at that, but after the way Chrissie had acted toward him this morning, he was concerned she might make him jump through hoops before she forgave him. Robert was a bit worried he’d have to rely on Diane’s hospitality for a few nights, at least. “Well, there’s a bit more to it than that. I took a swing at Lawrence and Lachlan got in the way.”

“You hit her son?” Diane asked, surprised.

“On accident,” Robert insisted. “He jumped in front of Lawrence. I’d have never hit him otherwise!”

“But why were you trying to hit Lawrence? I’m not judging you, Robert, but none of this makes sense to me!” Diane exclaimed. He found himself explaining everything to her- how he and Lawrence used to get on, but how it had gotten weird after Robert started dating Chrissie. Diane was a good listener, and she didn’t immediately tell him he was imagining things when he told her his suspicions about Lawrence’s heart condition. It felt good to finally unwind, and he wished Diane had been at the pub yesterday instead of Val. She would have cut him off before he got so drunk. Even if she hadn’t, he was certain Diane would have taken his keys and insisted he sleep it off on her sofa.

“Well, if Lawrence was faking his heart condition, then that was very bad of him,” Diane agreed. “But you have no proof of this?”

“Nothing. Just comments that he’s made to me when we’ve been alone. When Chrissie’s not around, he shows his true colors. When she’s in the same room with us, he puts on this act. She’s completely on his side, and won’t even hear me out,” Robert complained, frustrated. 

“One step at a time,” she soothed. “You have to apologize for coming home in such a state, and that whole mess with the poor boy. The rest will sort itself out. Eventually Lawrence is going to tip his hand, and Chrissie will see the truth for herself.”

Robert wasn’t so sure of that, but he appreciated having someone on his side for a change. Diane showed him to the guest room upstairs and pointed out the facilities before she left him to his own devices. It was a relief to jump in the shower. He smelled like alcohol, and if it had been bad enough yesterday for Chrissie to comment on it, then it was worse after spending the night closed up in his car. Cleaning up went a long way toward reviving him.

Stepping out of the shower, Robert wrapped a towel around his waist, and grabbed another for his hair. He was drying his face with it as he stepped out into the hall, which was his only excuse for not checking to see if he was in danger of running into anyone. As it was, he knocked right into someone, and he could tell immediately that it wasn’t Diane. The other person was too firm to be a woman, and too muscular to be Doug, his stepmother’s partner.

“Sorry!” Robert exclaimed, quickly dragging the towel off his head so he could see. He came face to face with the young man he’d seen in the pub, the one who had caught Chas’ attention.

“Who are you?” the younger man asked, tone irritated.

“Robert Sugden,” he introduced himself, uncomfortably aware that he was dressed in nothing but a towel. He was very conscious of the young man’s blue eyes traveling down his wet body, face unreadable. Robert realized belatedly that he’d placed a hand on the man’s arm to catch his balance after bumping into him. He made himself let go. When the young man didn’t say anything, Robert added, “Sorry again, for running into you. I wasn’t looking.”

“Whatever.” With that, the young man turned away and went into the bedroom next to Robert’s, slamming the door shut.

“Nice to meet you too,” he muttered under his breath, unreasonably irritated by the rude young man. Robert closed himself in the guest room and quickly got dressed before heading back down to the pub. Diane had taken over for Chas, minding the bar. He sat himself down on one of the bar stools.

“You look like you’re feeling better,” Diane commented approvingly.

“I feel better now that I’ve cleaned up. I think a bite to eat might help even more.” Robert placed an order for the kitchen, and waited until Diane brought out his plate before he asked her about the man he’d run into. “I met a boy while I was upstairs. He asked me who I was and didn’t bother to introduce himself before he shut himself in one of the rooms.”

“That was Aaron Livesy, Chas’ son,” Diane said. “He takes some getting used to, but he’s got a good heart. He won’t give you any trouble if you stay out of his way.”

“If I stay out of his way?” Robert asked, incredulous. “What happens if I don’t?”

“Aaron has a temper,” Diane explained. “It gets away from him sometimes, although not as much these days. You should have seen him when he was a boy!”

“I do remember Vic mentioning him, now that I think of it,” Robert commented. “How can you feel comfortable living with someone like that? He sounds troubled.”

“He’s not that bad!” Diane protested. “He’s a good sort, deep down. Don’t worry yourself over him. Just stay out of his way, like I said, and you’ll be fine while you stay with us.” Robert gave her skeptical look, but said nothing more as she went about her work. He enjoyed a quiet meal, and had just placed the last bite in his mouth when he saw Aaron appear from the back. Chas was hot on his heels. It was almost funny watching her chase after the boy. Robert was used to Chas standing around looking haughty and superior, delivering barbed comments with little effort made to mask how much she disliked Robert on account of his history with Katie, her best mate. Around her son, she was a different woman.

“You never said where you were going!” she called out, following behind her son as he zipped up his black hoodie. 

Robert saw Aaron roll his eyes. “Out.”

“When will you be back?”

“Just leave it!” Aaron said, irritated. Robert watched him storm out the front before turning his eyes back to Chas. He was struck by the concern so evident on her face. Then she caught sight of him looking, and her expression turned scathing. “What are you looking at?” she asked rudely before turning on her heel and going back around the bar to the back. Robert caught Diane’s gaze and raised his eyebrows at her.

“I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Robert said, inexplicably amused. Something about Aaron’s long suffering expression when he’d rolled his eyes at his mum struck Robert as humorous.

“You could say the same about the entire Dingle family,” Diane told him with a tired shake of her head.

“Let me guess- I should stay out of Chas’ way as well?” Robert asked with a smile.

“If you know what’s good for you,” Diane agreed.

Robert put Chas and Aaron from his mind and returned to the guest room he was staying in, wanting privacy for his call to Chrissie. It did not go well. “I need time,” she told him. “I’m still upset with you. Trying to hit my dad was not alright, Robert. Hitting my son is worse! I’m not sure I can forgive you for that.”

“What are you saying?” Robert asked, surprised at her words. Of course he expected her to be angry, but telling the man she was going to marry that he’d committed an unforgivable offense was tantamount to admitting she wanted to put their wedding off!

“I’m saying that my ex was an abusive tyrant who drank too much, and what I saw last night reminded me of him.”

“You can’t possibly compare me to him!” Robert protested. “I’m not an alcoholic. And besides last night, when have you ever seen me lose it like that?”

“Donny seemed like a good man too. At first. The problems didn’t show up until later.”

“You can’t punish me because of mistakes Donny made,” he told her. “Chrissie, you know me! You know I’m not an alcoholic, and I’d never harm you or Lachlan.”

“But you already did!” she pointed out. “And I know you meant to hit my dad, but that doesn’t make it better. Robert, I love you, but I have to make sure Lachlan is safe, and he doesn’t feel safe with you in the house.”

“He’s said that?” Robert asked, starting to get a bad feeling about this.

“Yes, he has. We’ll talk later, I promise. I just need time.” Chrissie hung up before Robert could say anything. Which was probably for the best, because anything he said was going to sound like more “wild accusations” no doubt. He was almost completely certain that anything Lachlan said about being afraid of Robert was down to Lawrence’s influence. He’d never clashed with the boy before, and rarely spent any time alone with him. It was all too easy imagining Lawrence asking Lachlan to take his side against Robert. The boy wouldn’t think twice about the consequences of ruining his mother’s relationship with Robert. He only ever thought of himself, and all it would take was the promise of an unlimited supply of video games to win his loyalty.

Robert wasn’t ready to throw in the towel, but he needed to see Chrissie soon. He knew that if he could just talk to her in person, face to face, he’d be able to convince her to take him back. She loved him, even if she chose to side with Lawrence against Robert. Chrissie would find it a lot harder to turn him away if he was standing right in front of her. He was going to give her today and tomorrow, but after that, he was going to fight for her. She meant everything to him.


	3. Chapter 3

21 November 2014

It was, perhaps, inevitable that Robert would run into Andy and Katie sooner rather than later now that he was temporarily staying with Diane at the Woolpack. He had just finished eating lunch, and was sitting by himself nursing a pint. As soon as they entered the pub, he felt himself getting defensive. They hadn’t done anything besides walk in, but Robert felt certain that if they didn’t already know about his fight with Chrissie, they soon would.

Robert stared down at his glass, determined to ignore them for as long as possible. Which turned out to be all of one minute, tops. The pub was mostly empty, since it was just after lunch. They would have had to be blind to miss him sitting there. “Robert,” Andy greeted him as he and Katie walked over to his table.

“Andy,” he said, letting a hint of mockery seep through.

“Diane told us about Chrissie,” his brother said. Well, at least he didn’t leave Robert wondering whether or not they knew. Now all he had to wonder about was if they were coming here in peace, or if Lawrence was using them as pawns. It wouldn’t be the first time the old man had done so. Lawrence had arranged to sell them Wylie’s Farm at an incredibly discounted rate just to get under Robert’s skin. What might he be able to convince them to say or do in order to guarantee the sale?

Robert watched Andy and Katie sharply, waiting for them to make their move.

“So, Chrissie has finally come to her senses?” Katie asked. “It took her longer than I expected. What did you do to make her kick you out?”

Robert glared at her. “I’d keep my eye on her if I were you, Andy. She’s taken a lot of interest in my relationship with Chrissie since I came back.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Katie fired back.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have to come to conclusions if you’d just mind your own business and shut up about things you know nothing about.”

“There’s no call for that,” Andy warned him. It seemed that in the same way Chrissie was always siding with Lawrence against Robert, Andy would side with Katie.

Robert raised his hands in front of him, like he was surrendering. “I’m just saying, maybe she should try not to meddle in other people’s lives.”

“We were just coming over to check on you, but I can see there’s no point,” Andy told him, his expression frustrated. “Come on, Katie, let’s get out of here.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him as he turned to leave. Andy completely missed the smug look she gave Robert over her shoulder as they walked away. He clenched his hands into fists where they rested on top of the table and glared at the couple until they had left. It was only once they were gone that he realized he was being watched.

Aaron was standing at the bar, not even bothering to pretend that he hadn’t been listening in. He was facing Robert with his back leaning against the bar behind him, and his arms crossed over his chest. His blue eyes were dark as he stared at Robert, and his expression was unreadable. “Do you make a habit of listening in on other people’s conversations?” Robert asked him, annoyed.

“Only when they raise their voices so anyone with ears can hear them,” Aaron responded, not sounding at all embarrassed to have been caught eavesdropping.

“And that entitles you to have an opinion?”

Aaron shrugged, looking completely disinterested as he unfolded his arms and reached for his pint. He took his time answering, choosing instead to lift his glass to his lips and take a sip. Robert watched as Aaron sucked his upper lip in, cleaning off the bit of foam that clung there after he’d lowered his glass. “It’s nothing to me. You’re the one getting all wound up about it.”

“Yeah, with reason,” Robert said. He knew he was overreacting, but he couldn’t help himself. Maybe if Aaron had just said he was sorry for eavesdropping, it wouldn’t irritate him so much.

“Everything alright?” Diane asked, appearing from the back room. Robert saw her looking from him to Aaron, clearly worried.

“I was just telling him to mind his own business,” Robert explained, giving Aaron a hard look. In his experience, most people would back down by this point. Aaron just gave him look for look, his eyebrows lowering as he frowned.

“And I was just telling him that he’s uptight and boring, and I don’t care about his problems,” Aaron said. Robert stared at him as the younger man tipped his head back to finish off his pint; watched as Aaron’s throat worked as he gulped down the amber liquid. Aaron slapped the empty glass down on the bar and turned his back on Robert. “I’m due back at work.”

“I’ll see you later, pet,” Diane said. Aaron stalked out, not bothering to acknowledge Robert at all. He glared after the boy, annoyed that Aaron had gotten the last word. “When I said you should keep out of Aaron’s way, this wasn’t quite what I had in mind,” Diane commented, drawing Robert’s attention.

“Andy and Katie came in to have a laugh over Chrissie. He had no right listening to my private conversation.”

“Well if it’s any comfort, I don’t think Aaron’s the sort to gossip. He won’t go around spreading tales about anything he overheard.”

“Yeah, well he better not,” Robert said, feeling completely out of sorts. Aaron seemed to have gotten under his skin more than Andy and Katie combined.

He knew his temper was made worse by the fact that he had nothing to do. Robert was unemployed, and Chrissie was no longer speaking to him. His work and his fiancee had previously taken up most of his time, and now he was at loose ends. All he had done today was sleep in ridiculously late, and linger in the pub by himself. The occasional chat with Diane or Victoria only brought home the fact that without Chrissie, Robert was friendless in Emmerdale. The entire village seemed to despise him, and he resented them all for holding onto past grudges.

Only yesterday he had decided that he would try to give Chrissie the space she had requested by not calling her today. The feeling of being so alone without her was unbearable. Getting to his feet, Robert headed for the door. He was going to drive to Home Farm and convince her to forgive him. There was no way he was going to pass the rest of the evening moping about the pub, having people point and whisper as word got out that Chrissie had kicked him out.

His steps were quick as he left the Woolpack, but he came to an abrupt stop when he got to his car. The wing mirror on the driver’s side was badly scraped up, as if he’d swiped against something. Robert realized he hadn’t looked at the car since he’d driven to the Woolie yesterday morning, hungover from all the bourbon he’d imbibed the other day. He must have scraped against something when he had drunkenly made his way to Home Farm to confront Lawrence.

His memories of the drive were vague, but he could remember nearly driving off the road more than once. At some point he must have clipped the wing mirror. It was disturbing to not remember having done so. Robert sighed as he unlocked the door and got in. He supposed he should be grateful that the only damage he’d done was to his own car. It could have been worse.

Instead of going to see Chrissie, he drove to the garage to get the car checked out. If he went to Home Farm and Chrissie noticed the damage, she’d just get angry all over again at how irresponsible he had been. She had as good as accused him of being a budding alcoholic for turning up at Home Farm so inebriated that he had gotten physical. If she was confronted with evidence that he’d also driven while very heavily under the influence… Well, Robert wanted to avoid that conversation if at all possible.

He pulled into the lot in front of the garage. He didn’t fancy running into Cain, but he figured it was unavoidable given that the garage was owned by the Dingles. Getting out of his car, he walked toward the open garage doors, hearing the familiar sounds of tools clanging against metal. There was a silver Volkswagen being worked on inside. With the bonnet facing the garage door, that meant the man bent over the engine had his back to Robert.

“Hello?” he called out as he came near. He couldn’t help letting his eyes travel down the mechanic’s body, and he smirked as his attention focused on how the blue coveralls draped across the man’s arse. As the mechanic started to straighten up, Robert glimpsed dark hair. Suddenly the smirk was gone as he realized that he may have inadvertently ogled Cain.

No, it was worse than Cain. Robert scowled as Aaron turned around to face him. The young man pulled a greasy rag from his pocket and wiped his hands with it as he raised his eyebrows questioningly. Even though the young man would never know that Robert had just been admiring his backside, he still felt like Aaron had managed to win round two. First he’d gotten the last word in at the pub, and now he’d unknowingly gotten Robert to leer at him.

“Right, so you’re just going to stand there staring, are you?” Aaron finally asked. Robert realized that he had been wordlessly glaring at the mechanic for a handful of seconds.

“I didn’t know you worked here,” he commented as he closed the distance between them.

Aaron shrugged and gave Robert a look, as if wondering if he were slow. “I’m standing here, aren’t I?”

“Is this your idea of customer service?” Robert asked, his gaze shifting lower as Aaron bit at his lower lip.

“What do you want?” Aaron asked. His tone had finally shifted to something other than annoyed disinterest. Now he sounded exasperated. Robert found himself smiling at the younger man, amused at the way he rolled his blue eyes and dug his hands into his pockets. “I know you didn’t come over here for a chat. Is that your car over there?” the mechanic asked, nodding his head toward the Audi behind Robert.

“Er, yeah,” he said, stepping back. Aaron shouldered past him, and Robert followed him as they approached the little white sports car. “I scraped my wing mirror against something,” he explained. “It seems to be the only damage to the car.”

Aaron came to a stop next to the car, and Robert stood behind him as the young mechanic quickly examined the wing mirror. “It’ll have to be replaced,” he said. “It’s a quick job, once you have the right part. Not many people around here drive an Audi. I’ll have to put in an order.” Aaron finally turned around to face Robert. It was only then that he realized how close he was standing to the young mechanic. Robert shifted back, giving them both some breathing room.

“How long before it gets here?” he asked, feeling unreasonably flustered.

Aaron gave a shrug and said, “A week? Thereabouts. Let me go fill out the paperwork before you drive off.” This time, Robert did not follow the young mechanic when he walked away, heading back inside the garage.

There was something about Aaron that kept throwing him off. Robert was loath to admit it, but perhaps he felt awkward around Aaron due to simple attraction. Over the years, there had been a few men he had been attracted to. It happened so rarely that Robert had never had an interest in labeling himself as anything other than straight. It was just rotten luck that he felt drawn to such an irritating, grumpy man, who happened to be living under the same roof as Robert, and who happened to be the son of a woman who hated Robert’s guts out of loyalty to her best mate, who happened to be Katie.

All he seemed to have recently was bad luck. Robert had hopes that this would soon change. Chrissie would take him back, and then he would at least not have to think about or see Aaron Livesy again. He’d managed to avoid the young mechanic before, hadn’t he?

Robert stood around waiting for Aaron to return with the order receipt for the new part. He disregarded the small shiver that ran through him as his fingers briefly brushed against Aaron’s when he accepted the small slip of paper from the mechanic. He turned his back on the younger man and headed toward his car. Robert chose to ignore the fact that the hairs on his body were still standing at attention from that fleeting touch as he drove away from the garage.

*****

22 November 2014

It seemed that bad luck was not something that a man could just will away. Had Robert just gone to visit Chrissie on Friday night instead of stopping at the garage to have his wing mirror looked at, he probably would have found her at Home Farm. He could have talked to her and convinced her to be reasonable. As it was, once he had come to the abrupt realization that he’d had the bad taste to develop a very small crush on the local mechanic - a man he had seen possibly four times in his life - Robert had chosen to retreat back to the pub and close himself in his room.

It was Saturday morning when he finally made his way to Home Farm to speak to Chrissie. He should have guessed that she’d be out. She was a very social person, and without Robert around to talk to, she was unlikely to spend the day at home. He immediately noticed her car was missing as he pulled up the drive. Cursing, Robert turned off the engine and rubbed at his eyes for a moment. He’d have to come back later this evening to speak to her. Knowing Chrissie, she had probably decided to go shopping with her dad and Lachlan. Robert couldn’t even count the number of times she’d told him that shopping was no fun unless you made a day of it. There was no point waiting around to see if she’d come back soon.

Still… Maybe he should go in and grab a few things. Chrissie seemed to have packed his bag by randomly pulling clothes from his wardrobe. Robert had found himself with three shirts, two briefs, one pair of jeans, one matched pair of socks, and one mismatched. She had neglected to pack any of his toiletries, and he was really starting to miss his razor. Unlike some men, Robert could go a couple of days and still look clean shaven. Three days was pushing it. His beard grew in reluctant patches of sparse blond scruff, giving the appearance that he’d carelessly missed a few spots when shaving. It wasn’t too bad yet, but he hated to look sloppy. He also wanted to look good for when he finally spoke to Chrissie.

Robert let himself in the house and quietly made his way up to the bedroom he shared with Chrissie. He hated how he felt the need to sneak in, as if he had no right to be here. It was his home, as much as it was Chrissie’s. He had as much of a right to walk in and make himself comfortable as she did. Still, he found himself trying to be quick and quiet as he gathered some things for himself and packed one of the bags he’d used when he had moved into Home Farm.

It took him about ten minutes to gather what he needed. He finally zippered up the bag and left the room. Robert paused at the top of the stairs when he saw Lawrence at the bottom, waiting for him.

“I thought Chrissie made herself clear when she told you to leave,” Lawrence said, crossing his arms as he regarded Robert. His expression could only be described as smug.

“Well, I was coming to talk to her about that,” Robert said coolly as he made his way down the stairs. “Seeing as she’s out at the moment, I thought I’d just grab a few of my things while I was here.”

“Be careful the door doesn’t hit you on the way out.”

“Oh, very original,” Robert mocked him as he finally drew even with him at the base of the stairs. “How long did it take you to come up with that one?”

“You know, Robert, your ability to be unpleasant never ceases to amaze and disgust me,” Lawrence told him. He noticed the old man’s fists had clenched, even hidden as they were with his arms crossed. He was getting to Lawrence.

“Unpleasant? Unpleasant is interrupting a memorial service by faking heart attack symptoms and calling Chrissie so she’d go running to your side.”

“Are you seriously still going on about that?”

“We both know what the truth is,” Robert said, feeling the familiar heat of anger filling him up. “You’ve had it out for me ever since I started dating Chrissie. And when we announced our engagement? You were furious! We both know you faked that heart attack so Chrissie would postpone the wedding until you recovered.”

“Where’s your proof, Robert?” Lawrence asked him. “Chrissie was right. You’re making wild accusations without a shred of evidence. What will you do next, I wonder? At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if you just started making up lies to try and back up your stories. And what, we’re all expected to believe you? Because of course you’re always so honest and forthcoming. Who could ever doubt the word of a pathetic cheat like you?”

“You’d better watch yourself,” Robert warned him, getting in Lawrence’s face. “Maybe you can fool Chrissie, but I’ve got you pegged. I know I’m right about you, and I’m not going to stop until I’ve convinced Chrissie. You’d better stay out of my way.”

“Or what?” Lawrence asked, trying to sound like he wasn’t intimidated.

Robert stepped even closer, bringing his face near to Lawrence’s as he stared him down. “Or I’ll make you get out of my way. And I guarantee, you won’t like that at all.”

“I think that’s quite enough.” Chrissie’s voice broke through Robert’s anger. He turned to find her standing at the front door. Which Lawrence had a clear view of. At some point he must have seen Chrissie come in, and he had deliberately provoked Robert so that she’d see him at his worst.

“Chrissie-”

“Robert, just leave!” she told him, moving out of the doorway so that it stood open for him. “Just don’t say anything else.”

“If you’ll just let me explain!”

“No, I don’t want to hear it! Just go!” He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. “I swear, Robert, if you say one more word, we are finished! You’ve now hit my son and threatened my father. You can’t be here right now. I just need you to leave while I think about things.”

More than anything he wanted to protest, to speak in his own defense. The look on Chrissie’s face stopped him. She had tears running down her cheeks, and the saddest look in her eyes. Never once had he seen her look at him that way, and he didn’t like it. Robert believed her when she said she’d end it between them if he spoke, so he simply grabbed his bag and walked out.

It was only a small consolation that he’d packed a larger bag for himself. It looked like he’d be staying with Diane longer than expected.


	4. Chapter 4

24 November 2014

Robert was nothing if not persistent. On Saturday night he called Chrissie and left a message apologizing for his behavior. He did the same on Sunday. By Monday he still hadn’t heard from her, so he sent her a text in the morning to let her know that he was thinking of her, and that he wanted to make things right between them again. As much as he wanted to call and text until she finally responded, he knew he had to play things right. He figured that if he bombarded her with messages, he’d come off looking desperate, and desperation was never attractive.

Once again he found himself with nothing to do. Victoria and Diane had told him he could help around the pub. Luckily, Chas had been present when they made the offer, and she was so obviously upset by the very idea that no one thought anything of it when Robert declined. Not only was the idea of working at the pub entirely unappealing to him, but it would also be tantamount to admitting defeat. He and Chrissie had history together. She was angry now, but he didn’t think she would find it easy to turn away from everything they had together. Sooner or later, she was going to relent and give him a second chance.

He headed over to the cafe to get away from Diane and Vic. They clearly felt a need to cheer him up, and were going out of their way to offer support that he really didn’t need. Leaving the pub gave him a breather. He had been sitting there for about fifteen minutes, sipping on an Americano, when he saw Aaron walk in with the other bearded bloke he’d noticed at the pub the day he’d made the mistake of overindulging in bourbon. They were clearly arguing, but they were speaking too softly for him to hear them. Robert watched with interest as they made their way to the counter to put in their orders.

He had to lower his eyes quickly when the two men turned to find seats, so they wouldn’t catch him staring. Luckily, they chose a couple of armchairs just under two meters from where he sat at a small table. It seemed like the best kind of payback to eavesdrop on Aaron’s argument, like the young mechanic had done to him at the pub a few days ago.

“I swear, Ross, if you do it then we’re done,” Aaron said, voice heated. “I told you before, if you pull another stupid stunt like you did last week, this partnership is over.”

“We’ve got a good thing going here. I don’t think you want to mess that up,” the other man - Ross - responded.

“Oh, and you’re so sure about that, are you? I’m not doing that to Debs again. Your last stunt made her lose out on business. You do it again, and she may as well close the garage.”

“It’s not even like it’s sitting in the garage this time. No one is going to connect it to Debbie or her business. Seriously, what do you take me for?” Ross asked.

“An idiot, as demonstrated by you near arrest last week,” Aaron said, his tone frustrated. “If you start nicking from people in the village, you’ll bring the police down on us.” Robert raised his eyebrows at that, intrigued. Were the two of them running some sort of crime ring?

“They won’t find anything,” Ross said confidently. “And if the police come sniffing around again, we’ll cover for each other. It worked last time, didn’t it?”

“Only because my mum backed my story up. I told you already that I can’t have her getting involved. You want to take stupid risks, you do it on your own time, with something I’m not a part of. I’m on a suspended sentence, in case you’d forgotten. I’m not getting locked up on account of you not using your head.”

“Oh, come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” Ross asked, amused.

“Do one,” Aaron said.

“Oi, that’s not very nice! I think my feelings are hurt.”

“You’ll be hurting a lot worse if you do it. I’m not kidding. I’ll pull out of our little deal, and I’ll tell Debs everything.”

“You said you wouldn’t tell her!” Ross hissed, no longer sounding amused.

“I said I wouldn’t tell her if that was the last time. You nick this one, and I’m going to have to explain everything to her, won’t I?”

“Never thought you’d be one to grass on a mate,” Ross said. Robert had to agree with him on that. He knew next to nothing about Aaron, but even he could tell the young mechanic was tight-lipped.

“I’m not your mate, and she’s family, ain’t she?” Aaron pointed out. “The rules don’t apply to family. You nick it, and I’ll have no choice but to grass on you.”

“What is it with you Dingles and family?” Ross asked, irritated.

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t turn on me if I did something to Finn?” Aaron asked.

“Why, are you planning something?” Ross asked, immediately defensive. “Stay away from my brother, Livesy.”

“And you stay away from my cousin.” Robert glanced over at them when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Bob was handing both men to-go cups. He watched Aaron grab his coffee and head out without another word to his mate. Ross looked after the mechanic for a moment before giving a frustrated sigh and following him out.

Robert found himself smiling for the first time since Chrissie had kicked him out again. There had to be some way he could use this. He didn’t know what Aaron and this Ross bloke were up to, but it definitely didn’t sound legal.

He got his chance to test the waters about an hour later. Robert was walking to the Woolpack and spotted Aaron headed home from the garage. The young mechanic ignored him, despite the fact that they were walking toward each other. Aaron turned right and started along the road that would lead him to the pub.

Robert quickened his steps to catch up. Hoping to get Aaron to pause for him, he called out, “I heard the strangest thing earlier. Want to know what it was?”

“Not particularly,” Aaron said, not slowing his pace. Robert reached out and grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him to a stop. He let go when Aaron glared down at his hand.

“See, I was sitting in the cafe when you and your mate walked in. I couldn’t help but overhear you.”

“So you were eavesdropping,” Aaron said. Robert watched the younger man’s face, taking in the way he scowled. “Funny how it don’t seem to bother you when you’re the one listening in.”

“I think the conversation I overheard was much more interesting than the one you heard,” Robert said with a smirk. “It seems you and your mate Ross have quite the sticky fingers. I hear you even stole from your own cousin. I wonder what Debbie and Chas would think if they knew?”

Robert didn’t even see it coming. One second he was eyeing the younger man, trying to gauge his reaction and get leverage over the situation, and the next he was being pinned against the stone wall they were standing next to. No attempt was made to soften the impact of Robert’s back hitting the wall, and he gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs. Aaron had a tight grip on the lapels of Robert’s dark grey suit jacket, pulling it tight and holding Robert still as he brought his face threateningly close.

“You’re trying to blackmail me? Who do you think you are?” Aaron snarled, blue eyes intense as he glared at Robert from a scant handsbreath away.

“Alright mate! I didn’t mean anything by it,” Robert said, trying to moderate the situation.

“Yeah you did, and I’m not your mate! You don’t know anything, so don’t be calling on me to do any of your dirty work.” Aaron abruptly let him go and turned away, as if he was just barely keeping himself in check. Robert kept his back pressed against the wall, watching Aaron warily, waiting to see what he’d do next. Robert could see the tension in his back and shoulders as the younger man took just a second to reign in his anger before he turned to face Robert. He moved in close again, but this time he kept his hands to himself as he growled, “Do yourself a favor and stay out of my way, because if I catch you lording it about near me again, I’m gonna wipe that smug smile right off your face! You understand me?”

Aaron didn’t wait for Robert to say anything before storming off toward the pub. Even when it was clear that he wasn’t going to come back, Robert just stayed there. His heart was pumping and he felt adrenaline buzzing through his system in the wake of the barely controlled violence that had surrounded them for one tense minute. It wasn’t until he felt himself hardening that he realized he wasn’t short of breath and hot all over because he’d been upset or frightened. Being pinned up against the wall, with Aaron all angry and pressed close had managed to turn Robert on.

He straightened himself up when he realized he was staring after the mechanic was a dopey little smile on his face. Robert was instantly irritated at himself. What was he doing, mooning after Aaron when he should be working on getting back with Chrissie? In seconds, he had his phone held up to his ear as he rang her, but of course she didn’t answer. Robert had no choice but to head over to the pub and cross his fingers that he didn’t run into Aaron. It seemed they both needed to cool of, if for different reasons!

 

25 November 2014

Robert might have chosen to avoid Aaron for a bit longer, but the decision was taken out of his hands when Dan, one of the mechanics, spotted him at the cafe and told him that the new wing mirror for his Audi had arrived early. He drove over to the garage just as Eric Pollard was storming angrily away. He almost knocked into the old man when he got distracted by the sight of Chrissie’s car sitting in front of the garage.

“Pay attention!” Eric said, moving around Robert.

“Sorry,” he responded absently. He ignored whatever it was Eric muttered at him under his breath. He’d just spotted Chrissie standing next to Aaron.

This was his best chance so far to talk to her. Robert came forward eagerly. Her back was to him, so it wasn’t until he’d called her name that she realized he was there. “What are you doing here?” she asked him.

“Need my wing mirror replaced,” he rushed to explain, not wanting her to think he had decided to follow her. “Is something wrong with your car?”

For a moment, it seemed like Chrissie might not answer. She looked reluctant to speak, and there was a pause before she answered him. “It was making noises. I’m told the brakes need replacing. I was just about to leave the car with Aaron.”

“You should have called me,” Robert told her, painfully aware of the younger man’s presence. Aaron was shifting his weight back and forth. His hands were hidden in his pockets, and his face was lowered as if he was attempting to give Robert and Chrissie the appearance of privacy.

He was so focused on Aaron that he missed how Chrissie had crossed her arms defensively. “I didn’t call you back because I need time, Robert!”

“I meant about the car,” he explained. “You should have called me about the car.”

“Oh.” They stood there silently. He was treading lightly, thinking that the less he said the better this would go for him. “Well, it’s being seen to now, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Will you call me back, though?” Robert asked. “I’ll stop calling you if you just promise me that we’re going to talk about this soon. I get that you need time, but it’s hard to give you space when you haven’t even said that we’re going to work things out soon.”

“We’ll talk things over, I promise,” Chrissie said. She rubbed at her temples with her fingers, closing her eyes as if she had a headache. “I hate us being like this, but I think it’s best for the family if we just take our time.” Opening her eyes, Chrissie said, “I know we were talking about a February wedding, but maybe we should put that on hold for now.”

“What, why?” Robert demanded, suddenly panicked. He’d been trying to appear calm and confident to her, but that was tossed out the window at her words. “That’s our wedding, Chrissie! I know we’re having a few problems, but it’s not that bad, surely!”

“Robert, this is a big deal. Do you think I want to put the wedding on hold?” Chrissie asked him. Shaking her head, she thrust her hand out toward Aaron. The young mechanic hastily held out his palm, and she dropped her keys onto it. “You said half an hour, right? I’ll be back then.”

Robert watched as she hurried away, frustrated that she wouldn’t just give him a chance to explain. Chrissie kept asking for time to think things over, but how could she really think things over without hearing his side of the story? The unfairness of it left him feeling increasingly irritated.

“I’m actually sorry I overheard that one,” Aaron finally spoke up, regarding Robert with an unreadable look.

“If it’s all about the village by tomorrow, I’ll know it was you who talked,” Robert told him.

Aaron shrugged, raising his eyebrows at him. “I’d have to be interested in order to start running my mouth about it.”

The younger man’s surly attitude actually managed to calm him a bit, oddly enough. It was almost a comfort, knowing the mechanic was just going to ignore the scene he’d witnessed. He didn’t know of anyone else who would just drop it like that. Vic or Diane would fuss at him. Andy would try to give him unwanted relationship advice that would inevitably lead to them butting heads. Katie would never let it go; she’d tell everyone about it and laugh in his face. It was actually pretty… decent of Aaron to just let the matter go.

“So… what about that wing mirror?” Robert asked awkwardly.

“Come back tomorrow. I’ll fix Chrissie’s brakes, and then I’ve got Eric’s car to work on.”

“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow? Er, bye then.” Robert hurried away, more than a bit embarrassed at how weird he was getting around Aaron. This little crush was turning him into a teenaged girl, all shy and moon-eyed.

If the entire thing wasn’t so puzzling, he might even be amused at himself. As it was, he just couldn’t figure this out. He noticed men, but there had previously been a commonality among them. Honestly, he’d always thought it was more of a power thing than a bisexual thing. Robert liked the suits, the flash cars, and playing with big egos. He liked money. He liked confidence (one of the reasons most of the women he’d dated were older than him). When he met a fit man who had the money to dress well, drive a fast sports car, and who had the arrogance to try bossing around everyone he met, well… Robert had slept with more than one man who fit that description.

Aaron was almost the complete opposite of the men Robert noticed. He was a mechanic, a greasemonkey who apparently had a criminal past. He definitely wasn’t driving a fancy car, if he had one at all. He wore blue coveralls instead of suits. So far Robert hadn’t seen any sign of an ego or arrogant overconfidence. Instead, he’d been impressed by the decency Aaron managed to hide under a touchy temper and all those frowns.

Robert thought about it as he walked back to the Woolpack. When he got there, he nodded to Diane and made his way up to his bedroom. The guest room he was staying in was small but comfortable, with an unfortunate decorating theme that included flower-patterned bedding, lacey curtains, and boring landscape paintings. The bed was soft and comfortable though, and he fell back onto the mattress gratefully, his head spinning with too many thoughts.

He was upset about Chrissie, angry at Lawrence, and on top of all that he was frustratingly horny. Robert had a strong sex drive, and it had been a week since he’d slept with Chrissie. It didn’t help that Aaron had the room right next door to his. He’d woken up this morning, sweaty and aroused after a dream he’d had where Aaron burst into his room and, without so much as an explanation, had jumped on Robert and fucked him senseless.

He groaned as the details of the dream came back to him, making his cock harden quickly and eagerly. His lower head was stupid, and thought it was going to get some. His upper head knew there was no chance of that. With Chrissie being stubborn, it might be another week before he got laid again. He hoped to god it was only another week. Chrissie had a fiery temper and tended to be reactionary, but she’d never held a grudge against him before. Once she finally gave him a chance to apologize, she’d want to make up. Robert just had to anticipate her leaving him hanging for a few days before she finally called him. He could manage without sex for a few more days. Easily.

Who was he kidding? Not himself, certainly. Robert felt ready to burst, all hot and bothered. Thinking of Chrissie’s long brown hair, her perky breasts, her long legs clad in black silk stockings, Robert began to massage himself through his trousers. He unbuckled his belt, closing his eyes as he freed himself and pictured his fiancee spread out for him on their bed. He pretended it was her hand on his cock, her manicured fingers teasing the head and sliding along his foreskin. Robert’s breath sped up as his body eagerly responded to the pleasure. He pictured Chrissie kneeling in front of him. A hot wet mouth engulfing him, Aaron’s blue eyes gazing up at him through dark lashes. Robert’s hand quickened pace, his breath coming in gasps. Aaron gasping on top of him, sliding their cocks together.

With a muffled moan, Robert came in spurts over his own hand. He laid there, heart beating against his ribs as he lounged in post-orgasmic bliss. It’d have been better with Aaron there, but still. Some kind of release was better than nothing.

Eyes flying open, Robert sat up straight. “Fuck!” he exclaimed, before he remembered that Diane or someone else might overhear him. Robert reached for the tissues on the bedside table and cleaned himself up, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. The fantasy had clearly started with Chrissie, but somehow Aaron had supplanted his fiancee in his thoughts.

Robert’s budding interest in the young mechanic was starting to get ridiculous. This attraction, or crush, just didn’t make sense. Robert had no clue what he found so appealing about Aaron. Well, besides the obvious. Clearly the younger man was fit. He had those amazing blue eyes and that manly scruff. Even with all the winter layers the younger man wore, Robert could tell he was muscled, all toned from days spent working at the garage. Covered in grease. Bending over cars. Working with his hands.

“Get a grip, Sugden,” he muttered, throwing his head back and squeezing his eyes shut. “It’s not like he’s even interested. A tough bloke like him would probably slug you for looking at him.” Aaron had that bad boy image down to perfection: the way he scowled at the world, eyebrows lowered, blue eyes unreadable; the way his temper lurked just under the surface, waiting for people like Robert to ignite it; the way he turned violent when angered, shoving Robert up against a wall. His hands had been fisted against Robert’s chest, his face just a breath away as he threatened Robert. Kissably close.

“Oh my god, seriously?” Robert groaned. He had only one option. He needed to sort things out with Chrissie asap. Clearly lack of sex was making him obsess.

He carefully chose to ignore the fact that he was obsessing about Aaron instead of Chrissie. After all, it probably didn’t mean anything.


	5. Chapter 5

26 November 2014

Robert had been moping about so much that Diane and Vic put him to work. They sent him out to Hotten to run errands for them, after which he dropped his car off at the garage to have the wing mirror replaced. He couldn’t say if he was glad or disappointed that Aaron wasn’t there. He left the car with Debbie, and then headed to the B&B for lunch Vic had roped him into. It was actually more fun than anything he’d been up to lately. Finn was there, and he was as big of a nerd as Robert. They talked about comic books while Victoria sighed and rolled her eyes. It was funny at first, but after it started to become annoying he interrupted the conversation to tease her.

“Well if you didn’t want to hear us argue about Marvel versus DC, you shouldn’t have invited us both to lunch,” he told her.

“I wouldn’t have if I’d known it would be this boring!” Vic protested.

“I didn’t think it was boring,” Finn said, raising his hand as if they were taking a vote.

“Well, if you don’t want to talk about comic books, then what would you like to talk about?” Robert asked.

“Well… What about Andy?”

“Really? You think bringing him up is better than a friendly chat about comic books?” Robert asked her incredulously.

“Look, Rob, you and Andy are both my brothers, and I love you. I just want to see you getting along, and it’s driving me crazy that the two of you can’t put the past behind you!”

“Vic, if it were as easy as all that, don’t you think we would have done?” Robert asked her.

“So what’s holding you back?” Finn asked curiously. Robert would have preferred if the boy had left to give them some privacy, but he understood that Finn was Vic’s best mate, and he was likely privy to more than Robert would be comfortable with.

“Well, Katie for one.”

“She’s really not that bad,” Victoria protested.

“Vic, we have a very sordid and complicated past that you probably don’t know the half of, and she can’t seem to let go of.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m a child, Rob,” Vic warned him. “And from where I’m sitting, it looks like she’s not the only one who can’t let go of the past.”

“Difference being, I’d ignore her entirely if I could. She seems bent on provoking me. You must have noticed!” Robert felt defensive, almost certain that once again someone he cared for would take sides against him. To his relief, his sister actually hesitated before nodding her agreement.

“She has been a bit of a cow where you’re concerned,” Vic acknowledged. “Still, can’t you just ignore it? Be the better person, and all that?”

“It’s not just Katie. Andy and I have never gotten along. You can’t just erase years of arguments.”

“Well, if you want my opinion-”

“Which I don’t.”

“That hasn’t stopped her yet, mate,” Finn told him.

“- you’re not going to get anywhere with Andy if you don’t put in some effort! I’m not saying you have to be best mates. Just talk to each other. Try to at least be in the same room without getting into it. I really want for all of us to be a family, and we can’t be if the two of you aren’t even on speaking terms!”

Robert sat for a moment, looking at her doubtfully. Vic asking him to not argue with Andy was like mixing vinegar and baking soda and telling it to not explode. It just wasn’t going to happen. He could never stand to disappoint his sister though, so he gave a brief nod and said, “I can’t make promises, but I’ll talk to him.”

“That’s all I can ask for, I suppose,” she said, sounding happy.

“Now if that’s done with, let’s please talk about something else,” Robert begged, enjoying the sight of his sister grinning at him. He felt his own lips tugging upwards in response.

“How about Chrissie?”

Robert’s smile disappeared instantly. He glared at his sister, wondering why she always had to be so nosy. Finn immediately cottoned on to Robert’s displeasure. “Maybe that’s not such a good idea,” the boy said.

“And why not?” Victoria asked. “Come on, Rob, you need to talk about it to someone.”

“Yeah, to Chrissie,” he said.

“So she’s still not called you back?” Vic pressed.

He really didn’t want to talk about it. Without going into much detail, he said “I did see her yesterday. I stopped in at the garage and she was there getting her brakes looked at. We didn’t really talk though.” He didn’t mention that she was putting a hold on the wedding. Robert was hopeful that once she forgave him for hitting her son, they could get back on track.

“I heard she was at the garage,” Finn said. “Eric mentioned it. He was in a terrible temper about it!”

“What? Why?” Vic asked, surprised. “I can’t imagine what Chrissie could have done to get on Eric’s bad side.”

“Sorry!” Finn said. “It was Aaron that Eric was mad at, not Chrissie. You know Eric has a history with the Dingles. Well, according to him, Aaron was giving him a hard time about his car-”

“I can believe that!” Vic laughed.

“Who in Emmerdale doesn’t have a history with the Dingles?” Robert pointed out.

“Well, I don’t!” Vic said. “Anyway, go on with your story, Finn.”

“Not much to tell. Apparently Chrissie drove up, and Aaron offered to fix her brake pads for free then and there. He told Eric he’d get to his car whenever. Put Eric in a foul mood, that’s for sure.”

Just hearing about it from Finn put Robert in a foul mood! The jealousy that struck him was as shocking as it was consuming.

Here he was, harboring the stupidest crush on the local mechanic, only to find that said mechanic was interested in his fiancee! There was no other reason a bloke would offer to fix a car for free. Aaron was interested in Chrissie. Not only that, but he’d been standing right there when Chrissie told Robert that she wanted to put their wedding on hold. Robert had actually thought that Aaron was being nice when he said he wouldn’t tell anyone about what he’d overheard. Now Robert knew that he wasn’t gossiping because he didn’t want anyone else to get in good with Chrissie. Aaron wanted her for himself!

Robert found himself uninterested in the conversation after that. He ended up excusing himself shortly after, saying only that they had probably fixed up his car at the garage. He wasn’t lying - Debbie had promised him it would be a quick job. His main reason for leaving was that Robert didn’t think he could hide his own foul mood. He tried telling himself he was only upset over Victoria meddling in his relationship issues.

It was more than that though. He was actually jealous over Aaron, and it was made worse by his irritation at himself for getting jealous at all.

His dark mood persisted even after he’d picked up his Audi, which was now as good as new. Even Diane commented on his bad temper when he got back to the pub. She thought he was feeling upset over Chrissie, so he had to grit his teeth through another one of her pep talks. When he finally escaped her, it was only to run into Vic, who wanted to check on him because he seemed out of sorts after lunch.

It was too much. He made it a point to avoid Diane and Vic for the rest of the day, until his stomach started growling for dinner. Robert made his way back to the Woolpack for his meal, where his gaze immediately latched onto Aaron. The younger man was seated on a stool at the bar. He was dressed all in black, from his hoodie, to his shirt and jeans. He looked as enigmatic as ever sitting there with his elbows on the bartop and a half empty pint set in front of him. Robert made his way over and came to stand close beside Aaron, trying to ignore the way he wanted to lean into the other man.

“I hear you’re giving Chrissie freebies at the garage,” he said, trying to sound casual.

Aaron glanced at him before turning his attention back to his pint. “It was a fast job. And it got rid of Eric right quick. The man’s a pest.”

“Right,” Robert said, trying to bring the conversation to the point he was most interested in. “Still, it’s a bit weird, isn’t it? Garages don’t make much money if they start fixing cars for free. Do you fancy Chrissie or something?”

He watched closely as Aaron took a swig of ale. If anything, he expected the younger man to look guilty, or cornered maybe. Instead, Aaron raised his eyebrows as he lowered his glass and huffed out a little laugh through his nose before he swallowed his mouthful. “No,” he said, his tone laced with amusement. But it was like Aaron was laughing at a joke only he got; an inside joke.

For a moment Robert felt relieved… but just for a moment. It occurred to him right away that Aaron might be lying. Maybe he sounded amused because he was lying? So Robert smirked, and tried to weasel the truth out of the younger man. “You do,” he insisted playfully, hiding how much the thought of that disturbed him. He nudged his left elbow into Aaron’s arm, smiling as he asked, “Is that what you do for tips round back at the garage, eh? Dirty little greasemonkey!”

Aaron looked up at Robert. He appeared so serious and earnest when he shook his and said, “I don’t fancy your bird, mate.”

“It’s alright, it’s allowed. I’m not going to deck you!” he assured the younger man, thinking Aaron was possibly wary of Robert getting upset. Well, he was upset! Just not for a reason he’d ever admit aloud.

“Pff!” Aaron gave a sound that was a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Lifting his glass, he looked back at Robert and raised his eyebrows at him as he said, “Well, I’ll remember that for when I stop being gay, eh?”

Robert’s brain short circuited.

All he could do was stare as Aaron took a last swig from his pint, and walked out without another word. He stood at the bar alone, gaping. James, Chas’ latest man, approached Robert from behind the counter. “What will you have?” he asked.

Aaron.

“Er, a pint, please,” Robert answered, flustered. Thankfully, James wasn’t the conversationalist that Chas and Diane were when they worked the bar. He poured Robert a pint and left him to his own thoughts.

*****

27 November 2014

Since becoming aware of his crush on the local mechanic, Robert had been trying his best to get more information about Aaron. He’d gone to all of the biggest gossips in Emmerdale, and sat through countless minutes of silly rumors and useless prattle before being able to steer the conversation to his new interest. Disappointingly, there wasn’t much they could tell him. It was all variations of what Diane had told him when he originally asked her who Aaron was: that he used to be a very troubled boy, always in fights, but that he’d pretty much kept to himself once he returned to Emmerdale. The only new things he’d learned were that Aaron had disappeared to France for a couple of years to avoid time for a crime he didn’t commit, and that before he’d left, Aaron had nearly been sentenced for murder.

Robert had of course Googled him once Bob had told him about some bloke named Jackson, whose death tied in to Aaron somehow. It appeared Bob had been close friends with the boy’s mother, who was also somehow involved in her son’s death. Aaron definitely gave the impression of being a bit of a thug, but a murderer? After reading through a half dozen articles about the assisted suicide of Jackson Walsh, the truth of it eventually sank in. What struck him the most wasn’t that Aaron had taken a life, but that the boy had committed himself to someone who was so ill. He must have been very young at the time, and to still have dedicated himself to his boyfriend to the extent that he had helped Jackson commit suicide…

Robert had never encountered someone who had the loyalty to stand by their partner through such extremes. He himself had a hard enough time remaining faithful and interested, even when the relationship was going well. That amount of dedication put him in a bit of awe, to be honest.

He was dying to quiz Diane, Vic, and even Chas about Aaron. He didn’t, only because he knew that they would notice and comment on his unusual interest in the boy. This lead to Robert deciding to follow through on his promise to Vic that he’d put in some effort with Andy. For all that his brother could be stubborn, he generally didn’t overthink things. If Robert asked him too many questions about Aaron, Andy was far more likely than Vic or Diane to accept some lame excuse.

Having spent far too much time at the pub of late, Robert knew that Andy often stopped in at the end of the day, before going home. He waited for his brother to finish his first pint before approaching him with two glasses in his hands. He nodded to the bench opposite Andy and asked, “Can I sit here?”

“Yeah, I was just leaving.”

“No, I meant with you.” Andy hesitated, so Robert added, “It’s been brought to my attention by Vic that I’m being an arse.”

Andy gave a laugh, shaking his head. “That sounds like our Vic. Go on then.” Robert took a seat and pushed one glass toward his brother. Andy took it and raised it to his lips. “Cheers!”

“I know I kicked off the other day when you came to see how I was. I guess I should say sorry for that. This whole thing with Chrissie is doing my head in.”

“Don’t worry about it. We came at a bad time, and Katie wasn’t very nice about it,” Andy said. Something that others had always liked about Andy was his willingness to set grudges aside. He was very big on forgiving and forgetting, unless he found the offense too great to ignore. Robert found it useful today, but it was actually one of those things that annoyed him about Andy. Most people, including their father, preferred Andy’s easy manner and readiness to overlook past wrongs. Robert’s quick temper and tendency to hold grudges always made him enemies, and never friends.

“I really put my foot in it this time,” Robert said, trying to gain sympathy.

“What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Robert considered for a moment, reluctant to tell yet another person about his troubles. In the end, he decided to lay it all out for Andy. He hated the thought that his brother would likely go home and tell Katie all of it, but he figured if anyone was likely to sympathize with him for getting drunk and hitting someone, it would be Andy. He’d had his troubles with domestic violence, and what Robert had done was nowhere near as bad.

By the time he’d finished, it was clear that he’d won Andy’s sympathy. “Well, if you need ought, just ask!” Andy told him. They were on their third round of pints, and both of them were feeling more at ease with each other.

“Thanks, Andy,” Robert said, smiling at him. “It means a lot knowing you have my back.”

“That’s what brothers are for, right?”

They tapped their glasses together at that. He wasn’t lying when he said it felt good to have Andy on his side. He was so used to being at odds with his brother that having his support in this felt gratifying. So much so, he almost forgot the whole reason he’d chosen to approach Andy. “Staying at the pub hasn’t been so bad. Diane’s been really great about it,” Robert told him, trying to segue into the topic. “I can’t say the same about Chas. She’s always glaring at me whenever we run into each other!”

Andy laughed at that. “The Dingle temper getting to you then?”

“She never lets up! Trust me, I’ve gotten quite good at avoiding her. Then there’s her son, too. Aaron, isn’t it?” Robert asked, as if he hadn’t been having erotic dreams about the man for the past few nights.

“That’s right,” Andy said, with a smile.

“You know him, then?”

“Pretty well. Aaron’s best mates with Moira’s son, so he comes by Butler’s Farm to pitch in whenever the Bartons need extra help. Aaron’s a hard worker.”

“That’s high praise, coming from you,” Robert told him, thinking a bit of flattery couldn’t hurt.

“Just calling it how I see it,” Andy said, sounding pleased that Robert thought he was a hard worker. “Aaron has been a friend to all the Bartons. He’s a good sort, even if he does get on the wrong side of the law from time to time.” Sitting up, Andy crossed his arms on the table so he could lean in close to Robert. Voice lowered, he said, “I’m not sure if I should be talking about this, so just keep it between us, yeah?”

“Of course,” Robert said, trying not to sound too eager.

“Well, the police came round the Barton cottage this afternoon. They wanted to have a look around. Apparently, there’s been a string of car thefts in the area. There was a car stolen right from the garage a couple weeks back! It had Debbie in a right state!”

“And this had something to do with Aaron?” Robert asked, trying to hide his impatience.

“Well, Moira gave the officers permission to have a look around. Aaron was there helping me out today, and once they left, he told us that Charity and Ross have been breaking down cars on Moira’s farm.”

“And he was helping them nick the cars?” Robert asked, thinking back to the conversation he had overheard in the cafe. No wonder Aaron had shoved him when he had brought it up. At most, Robert had suspected a bit of petty theft. Nicking cars was serious.

“Nah,” Andy said, shaking his head and taking another sip from his pint. “He was probably helping to break the cars down. Going out and nicking them is too risky, and he’s in no hurry to go to jail. Really, I was surprised to hear he was involved at all. I thought for sure he’d put all that behind him. Knowing Aaron, he’s got reasons for doing it.”

“So you think he’ll keep on, then?”

“Probably not. Like I said, too risky. With the police coming around, he’s probably trying to clean up the mess and wash his hands of it. He really is a good kid. He just makes piss poor decisions, like most boys his age.”

“Alright, grandpa,” Robert joked, starting to feel uneasy. Of course he knew Aaron was younger than him, but with the way Andy was going on, he was starting to worry the mechanic was barely legal! “How old is he again?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Andy said, screwing his face up as he thought. “I’m not good with ages. However old Vic is, I suppose.” Their sister had just turned 20 in March, so Aaron had to be at least that. An 8 year difference in age was nothing, really. “They used to date, you know? Aaron and Vic did. Before he came out, I mean.”

Robert stared at his brother, more taken aback by that bit of news than he’d been by learning that Aaron was breaking down stolen cars and had killed his old boyfriend. “They weren’t serious, were they?” he asked, disliking the thought.

“It hardly matters now, Robert!” Andy laughed. “Vic won’t thank you for going after old boyfriends and roughing them up!”

“I hadn’t planned on it,” he said, disgruntled. What he really wanted to know was if they had ever been serious enough to sleep together. He just couldn’t figure out how to ask Andy. It was strange how much the thought upset him. Robert couldn’t remember being bothered by the fact that Katie had slept with Andy when he’d started up with her all those years ago. Yet for some reason, the thought that Vic may have had Aaron in ways Robert had literally been dreaming about had him as jealous as he’d been the other day, when he thought Aaron was interested in Chrissie.

What was truly frustrating was that he didn’t think there was anyone who would be able to tell him if Vic and Aaron had had sex except for the two themselves. He was also reasonably sure that if he tried to ask either of them, he’d get a smack for his efforts.

“I’m glad we did this,” Andy said when he was getting ready to leave.

“Me too.” He plastered a smile on his face, but Andy was very far from his thoughts at the moment. No, a certain blue-eyed boy had taken up most of his headspace, and Robert didn’t think that would change until he’d finally managed to crawl into Aaron’s bed for a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a bit of extra time this week, so I'm hoping to add an update tomorrow. If you like smut, you're going to want to check in for Chapter 6 ;-)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So tired, but I've done it! Didn't want to make you wait until tomorrow after work for this smut-filled chapter! Hope you all enjoy.

28 - 29 November 2014

He’d spent the week obsessing over Aaron and building bridges with his family. What he should have been doing was focusing his attention on winning Chrissie back.

In retrospect, Robert couldn’t even say what had made him so certain that everything would work itself out. Not for a single second had he been worried that Chrissie wouldn’t take him back. He had been convinced that when she finally agreed to speak to him, all it would take to win her over would be a fake apology for fighting with Lawrence, and promising to never again come home drunk or hit her son.

Chrissie called him on Friday morning and asked him to come to Home Farm for a late lunch. Robert dressed for the occasion, choosing a blue jumper that Chrissie had bought for his birthday, and pairing it with casual jeans and his black leather jacket. He knew he’d chosen well when he arrived at Home Farm and he caught Chrissie eyeing him appreciatively. He enjoyed the way her cheeks blushed when he let his own gaze devour her, taking in her tall, slim figure clad in silk. Robert’s body was screaming for sex, and he couldn’t wait for lunch to be over so he could chase Chrissie up the stairs and make love to her on their bed.

He felt confident and in control as he joined her in the kitchen for lunch. So minutes later, when she broke up with him, all he could do was sit there with his half-eaten sandwich raised part way to his lips, in complete disbelief. “You what?” he said, putting his sandwich back down on his plate.

Chrissie folded her hands nervously on the table and said, “If it was just me, I would take the risk. I’d take my chances with you, whatever my dad says. But I have Lucky to think of, and the things they’ve told me since you’ve been gone… I’m sorry, Robert, but it’s over between us.”

“How can you say that?” he asked, stunned.

“I don’t know, Robert,” she wept, looking miserable. “Dad and Lucky have told me such horrible things about you. I don’t want to believe it, but why would they lie?”

“What things?” Robert asked numbly, confused. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I!” He watched as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“No, Chrissie, I mean I really don’t understand,” he insisted, shaking his head. “What have they said? I mean, besides that one night I haven’t done anything to them!”

“Robert,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I can’t do this with you.”

“You can’t just tell me that your family has made accusations against me and then not tell me what they said! You’ve just said you’re breaking up with me, and I don’t even get to know why?” he asked, beginning to get angry.

“You’ve been undermining Dad at work,” she said. “You’ve been spreading rumors about him. You’ve been trying to push Lachlan away, to make him distance himself from me so that you can have me to yourself.”

“I have not!” he protested.

A fresh wave of tears poured down Chrissie’s cheeks, and her face scrunched up with emotion. “I want to believe you so much!” she sobbed. “I love you, I really do. But I have my son to think of. If it was just Dad, I’d move away with you now that you’re not working for him. We could have a fresh start. But Lachlan is always going to be part of my life. He’s my top priority, and if you can’t get along with him…”

“I can! I do!” Robert promised. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. “Chrissie, please! Let’s move away, like you said. It’ll just be the three of us. We can be a family together.”

“I want that more than anything,” Chrissie whispered hoarsely. “But my son is telling me that you two have been having these fights that I didn’t know anything about.”

“But we haven’t!”

“I wish I could believe that, Robert,” she said, pulling her hand away from his. “But I can’t just ignore what Lachlan is telling me. I can’t call my son a liar so that we can be together.” Chrissie stood, her salad still untouched. “We’re all going to be out tomorrow. You can come by and collect your things then. Leave your key when you finish up.”

He was too dumbfounded to think of anything to say as she walked away.

In a daze he left the mansion and got in his car. He hardly knew what he was doing. He just drove around, trying to process what had happened.

It came down to Lawrence. The old man really had managed to bribe Lachlan into telling Chrissie lies, and damned if it hadn’t worked. It was clear from what Chrissie had said that she didn’t entirely believe what her dad and son were telling her. That did Robert little good, since apparently she wasn’t going to let her doubts stop her from chucking him.

This was a worst case scenario that Robert hadn’t been prepared for. He didn’t want to say there was no chance he could win Chrissie back, but it was looking grim. Somehow, he’d have to get at Lachlan and convince him to come clean. If she knew that her son had made that stuff up about Robert picking fights with him, she’d definitely take him back then. It was either convince Lachlan to tell the truth, or expose Lawrence as a liar. As much as Robert preferred the latter, the boy seemed like the weaker link.

Unable to stomach the thought of facing Diane or Vic and having to tell them what had happened, Robert continued driving around aimlessly. He avoided the village all day, returning sometime past midnight, after the Woolpack had closed and no one was around to ask him questions about where he’d been, or how his lunch with Chrissie had gone.

He expected everyone to be in bed, so he froze when he walked in on Aaron making out with some random on the sofa in the parlor. The two men broke apart, and Robert just stood there stupidly as the stranger made his excuses and left. He had to walk past Robert to get out the door, and it was when he spotted the love bite on the man’s neck that he lost it. He followed the man to the door and rudely slammed it shut behind him once he’d walked out.

“What’s your problem?” he heard Aaron ask from the sofa. Fuming, Robert bolted the door and went into the parlor. He could tell Aaron had been drinking. He was pretty sure a sober Aaron would have straightened himself up after being interrupted. As it was, the younger man’s jeans were still unzipped, and Robert was painfully aware of the hard length there that was only being covered by the black fabric of his boxers.

“I don’t have a problem,” Robert said, voice tight and angry.

“I’m surprised there isn’t steam shooting out your ears, mate,” Aaron said. “He thought you were my boyfriend with the way you stood there glaring. You got a problem with me being gay?”

“No! Of course not!”

“Then I don’t understand why you’re standing here all upset. If there’s anyone who should be angry, it’s me!”

“Oh, and how do you figure that?” Robert demanded, crossing his arms and frowning.

“I was just about to pull! I’m the one risking blue balls, here.” His comment had Robert’s attention shifting to his unzipped jeans. Aaron looked entirely too tempting, sitting there with his clothes all mussed. In contrast, his hair was still gelled and styled, and his beard was neatly trimmed. Those blue eyes were intense, seeming to see everything Robert was desperately trying to keep hidden.

He’d been staring too long, too openly. He knew it, and he was scared Aaron had realized it as well when the younger man got to his feet and came close. Robert scrambled backwards, trying to put some space between them. The other man stopped and raised his eyebrows at Robert. “Easy! I’m just trying to get past you! There’s no point lingering now that you’ve chased away my chance at some fun tonight.”

Just thinking about the bloke who’d run out of here had anger burning his fear away. Aaron was brushing past him to get to the stairs, and without thinking, Robert reached out and gripped his arm. He pulled Aaron close, dipping his head down and pressing their lips together.

The kiss was better than Robert had hoped it’d be. Those bowed, pink lips were surprisingly soft against his. It was possibly the only soft thing about the man in his arms. Aaron was all rough masculinity, from the thrilling scratch of his beard against Robert’s chin to the strength of his grip when he clenched his fists into Robert’s jacket. His hair was short and coarse to the touch when Robert’s fingers brushed against the back of his head as he cradled Aaron’s face to deepen the kiss. And his taste… Aaron was warm, spiced ale in his mouth.

Despite the unexpectedness of the kiss, there was no hesitation from Aaron. The moment their lips met, it was like fuel igniting. There was nothing gentle or slow about it. All thought left Robert as Aaron surged against him, matching Robert’s passion with his own.

He hadn’t realized that Aaron was walking him backwards into the hall where the stairs were until his back slammed against the wall. It left him breathless, and he resurfaced from the kiss, throwing his head back and letting Aaron pin him there against the wall. His heart was fluttering like a caged bird in his chest as the other man tore his jacket off, tossing it to the floor where they stood at the foot of the stairs. Aaron nuzzled at his neck, sucking at his Adam’s apple. Robert moaned when the other man pulled away, desperate for more. He didn’t fight it when Aaron dug his fingers into Robert’s shoulders and pushed him down onto his knees.

Dropping down in front of the younger man, Robert felt like he’d been set on fire. He couldn’t hold back an eager groan when he saw that Aaron’s jeans were still open. The black boxers underneath were doing little to contain his hardened length. It was easy for Robert to slip his fingers through the fly of Aaron’s boxers, stroking him before freeing his cock from the black cotton.

There were a few seconds then, that Robert really thought about what he was doing. He pushed back his arousal for a moment and took stock of the fact that he was on his knees in front of a bloke, jerking him off in the stairwell of his step-mum’s home. Diane or Chas could wake up at any time and find them. Aaron at least had a good defense: he’d been out drinking, and could be excused for his poor choice of location for this sort of thing. What excuse did Robert have?

Aaron ran his fingers through Robert’s hair before grabbing a fistful of shaggy blond locks and guiding Robert’s face to his crotch. Faced with the sight of Aaron’s clear arousal, Robert’s moment of reflection was gone. He decided he didn’t need an excuse to lean forward and lick along the pink head of Aaron’s cock. Robert gave in to the moment, sucking eagerly, shivering at the low moans coming from the other man as Robert bobbed his head. When Aaron’s gasps began to sound frantic, Robert lowered his mouth down the shaft as far as he could.

When Aaron came, he was so far down Robert’s throat that it was less an issue of swallowing, and more an issue of not choking.

Aaron pulled Robert off of him when he was done. Trying to catch his breath, Robert leaned his forehead against the other man’s hip, enjoying how Aaron stroked his hair gently while they both recovered. Finally, Aaron straightened from where he’d been leaning over Robert’s bent form. At some point, he’d propped himself up with his arm braced against the wall that was behind Robert. Now he stood straight, and took a moment to tuck himself back inside his boxers. He still hadn’t zipped up his jeans though.

Bending down, Aaron grabbed hold of Robert’s hair again and held him in place for a kiss. It was wet and sloppy, and it had Robert leaning in for more. He wound his arms around Aaron’s neck, holding him close. When he felt a gentle tug on his hair upwards, Robert moved off his knees and got his feet under him again. He was immediately pinned against the wall once more, and he felt his stomach tighten in anticipation, enjoying being manhandled by the younger man. Robert grabbed hold of the Aaron’s waist, pulling him closer until he could grind against him. To his satisfaction, he could feel the other man’s cock start to stir, recovering quickly for a second round.

“Upstairs. Now,” Robert growled, needing his own release and unwilling to take it on the stair landing. Forcing himself to pull away, he climbed up the stairs with the younger man right behind him.

Aaron’s room was dimly lit by a small bedside lamp that revealed dark walls, blackout curtains, and a bed that was thankfully larger than the twin in the guestroom. Robert looked around with curiosity, but if he were honest he was only looking around so much in an effort to ignore the nervousness he felt as Aaron closed the door behind them. The doubts started trickling in. What was he doing? How could he have come onto the young mechanic like that? What was going to happen tomorrow? What was going to happen tonight?

Like he had downstairs, Aaron took control. He didn’t give Robert a chance to get cold feet and run. He attached himself to Robert, kissing him senseless as he guided him to the bed. Every kiss Aaron gave him seemed to steal away more of his brain cells until he was putty in the younger man’s hands. When they got to the bed, he let Aaron pull all his clothes off until Robert was naked before him. He didn’t resist when the other man turned him around to face the bed, and pressed a hand to his back until Robert was bent over it.

Hearing Aaron pull open the bedside table drawer, Robert glanced over his shoulder to watch Aaron rifle through it for lube and a condom. He felt his dick twitch eagerly as he watched the mechanic come toward him.

“Is this what you want?” Aaron asked him as he came up behind Robert. The feel of the younger man rubbing up against his arse had him squeezing his eyes shut as he let his head dangle down between his arms.

“Mm,” Robert managed as he felt Aaron pull away. He shuddered, hips automatically pushing back when Aaron started tracing his hole with a teasing finger.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Aaron said, tone amused. “I can’t believe I’ve managed to shut you up. Didn’t think anything could stop you from running that mouth of yours. To be honest, I’m a bit turned on by it. You, bent over my bed, all quiet like.”

Annoyed, Robert lifted his head and twisted around so he could glare at Aaron. “Oi, cheeky! I think you’re the one who can’t stop running his mouth,” Robert said. The banter actually helped relax him further, putting him back on familiar ground with Aaron.

His thoughts completely derailed as Aaron got busy stripping.

Robert cupped himself as he caught sight of Aaron’s strong thighs, and then started loosely stroking himself when the younger man lifted his black t-shirt up. Aaron’s chest was well muscled, and the sight of his pecks was enough to make Robert want to turn around and start licking Aaron’s nipples. There was a curious crisscross pattern of scars across Aaron’s abs, but Robert didn’t have a chance to look at it more closely in the dim light of the lamp. Aaron had finished lifting his shirt over his head and caught Robert staring. He smirked and closed the distance between them, molding his chest against Robert’s back and bringing their faces close for a kiss. It was an awkward angle for his neck, but he found he didn’t care, not with Aaron’s tongue curling around his.

Parting from him, Aaron grabbed the lube and squirted some on his fingers. Robert moaned as the other man started preparing him. It had been so long since the last time he’d done this. Squeezing his eyes shut, he let his head fall limply between his arms as his fingers gripped the soft coverlet on the bed. His knees got weak as Aaron worked the first finger into him, and by the time there were three helping to stretch him out, Robert was delirious with it. He couldn’t hold back the eager sounds he was making, not caring if anyone overheard.

Aaron pulled his fingers free to put a condom on, leaving Robert trembling, his skin damp all over. “Please,” he moaned as Aaron grabbed hold of his left shoulder, holding Robert in place while he lined himself up.

“Are you ready?” Aaron gasped, teasing him by brushing the head of his cock against his opening.

“Yes, yes!” Robert hissed, trying to push back against Aaron. He was rewarded when the other man pushed in, but Aaron stopped once the head of his cock had penetrated him.

“Tell me you want it,” Aaron growled, the rasp of that voice making him wild.

“Fuck, Aaron, I swear, if you don’t fuck me right now…”

He cried out when Aaron plunged in, the burn quickly turning to pleasure as the other man wasted no more time teasing and started fucking him in earnest. The slap of Aaron’s skin against his had him so turned on he could barely stand it. The pace was hard and punishing, but Aaron knew exactly what he was doing. He easily found that spot inside Robert, and each thrust rubbed against it, sending bolts of pleasure radiating through him.

When the other man reached around and started jerking him off, he knew it wouldn’t take long before he came. “Close,” he gasped. Aaron skipped a beat, his hips stuttering for a moment, and then he was thrusting deep, his hand on Robert speeding up.

“Shit, go Robert!” Aaron hissed.

As if he’d been waiting for Aaron to tell him to come, Robert felt his balls tighten. Then he was screaming his orgasm, burying his face in the mattress to try and quiet himself as he came across Aaron’s hand. He felt the other man go balls deep, body shuddering through his own climax before he pulled out and collapsed on the bed next to Robert.

The room was filled with their heavy breathing as they tried to recover. Robert felt his heart thundering as he pulled himself all the way onto the mattress. Sated, all he could do was drag himself to a comfortable spot. Once he got his head on one of the pillows, his eyes fluttered shut. Sleep ambushed him, pulling him under without warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like Robert, I'm letting sleep ambush me. Crossing my fingers there are no horrible typos or errors in this Chapter, but much too tired to proofread.


	7. Chapter 7

29 November 2014

Last night had been a mistake.

Robert woke up in Aaron’s bed, alone, smelling of sex and feeling well ridden. His body ached deliciously, and he felt calmer and more clear headed than he had all week. Physically, he felt better than good; so great he wanted to roll around the bed and bury his face in Aaron’s pillow. He wasn’t meant to live a life of abstinence. He’d needed that so badly. The fact that he’d knocked out right after was a sign of how satisfying it had been. Normally Robert could carry on for half the night if he cared to. One of the things he prided himself on was his stamina.

It was like he was two different people. There was the Robert that was enjoying the morning after, and savoring memories of the night before. Then there was the Robert that was full of regret. It wasn’t that he felt guilty; not at all. Chrissie had ended it between them before he got into bed with Aaron, making their relationship the longest he’d been in without cheating. So no, it wasn’t guilt that was bothering him. He was wondering just how much this was going to complicate his life.

Obviously he’d acted on impulse last night. If he had been thinking straight, he’d never have done something that would compromise his plan to get Chrissie back. It was going to be hard enough winning her over without her knowing that he’d slept with a man. Since Aaron had been gone when Robert woke, he had no way of knowing who he’d spoken to about last night. All he could do was cross his fingers that Aaron understood it was a one off. He couldn’t even imagine what he’d do if Aaron started blabbing to everyone and telling them that he and Robert were together.

That thought alone filled him with dread and finally got him up out of bed. He had to listen at the door to make sure no one would catch him sneaking out of Aaron’s room. Robert took the time to shower and wash away the other man’s scent before going to look for him. Finding him was problematic. Aaron wasn’t at home. He wasn’t at the cafe or the garage, and the only other place Robert regularly saw him was the pub, which was closed until noon. For all that he’d spent the past week obsessing over the man, Robert had absolutely no idea where Aaron spent his free time.

What was worse, he had no idea who to ask about it. He thought Andy might know, since they sometimes worked together at Butler’s Farm. After they had spent so much time talking about Aaron a couple of days ago, Robert thought that even Andy would want an explanation for why he was looking for the young mechanic. Vic might know where he was, but she was so nosey. He didn’t want her asking him twenty questions just so she’d answer one. 

It probably wasn’t his best idea to ask Chas, but that’s what Robert ended up doing that afternoon when he spotted her in the kitchen making a brew for herself. Despite having spent over a week staying with Diane, he and Chas did a very good job of staying out of each other’s way. When they did find themselves in the same room, they usually ignored one another unless there was no other way around it. After spending his morning running around the village looking for her son, Robert decided to just go ahead and ask her.

“Afternoon, Chas,” he said pleasantly - if a bit hoarsely - as he took a seat at the kitchen table. His throat felt sore, likely because of his activities from the night before. Aaron was a bit on the large side, down there. Not that Robert was complaining.

Chas had just put the tea kettle to boil, and she turned around to face him with a surprised look on her face. “Since when are we on speaking terms?” she asked him, crossing her arms and regarding him suspiciously.

“I hadn’t realized we weren’t,” he lied.

“Well we’re not, and if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to keep it that way for however long you’re going to be squatting here.”

“Squatting?” he asked, already getting annoyed with her. “I’m hardly a squatter, Chas.”

“Oh? You mean you’re not staying here rent free and eating all our food?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve bought groceries for Diane. I’m not trying to abuse her hospitality.”

“My point is, if Chrissie’s not going to take you back, you should find somewhere else to stay.”

“Hold on, who says we’re not getting back together?” he demanded.

“I heard what you did,” Chas said, shaking her head at him. “If Chrissie’s got any sense, she won’t take back a bloke who hits her son.”

Robert was furious. He’d known Andy would talk to Katie. Of course she’d start telling everyone about it. “Katie’s been gossiping, has she? I should have known. Girls like her can’t keep their mouths closed for anything, eh?”

Chas caught on to the innuendo and immediately jumped to her best mate’s defense. “That’s out of line! You’d better watch your mouth. And I notice you didn’t try to deny it. So it’s true then? You’re a child beater? What, not man enough to pick on someone your own size?”

“First off, it was an accident. He got in the way when I tried to hit Lawrence, who definitely deserved it. Second, it really isn’t any of your business. Third, I’ve heard stories about you and Carl King. You expect me to believe he never roughed up your son? I heard it was pretty tense between the pair of them.” In his efforts to get to know more about Aaron, he’d heard a few stories about those two. “In fact, I seem to remember someone telling me that you kicked out your own son, sent him to live with Paddy, just so you could play house with Carl.”

“Don’t talk about stuff you don’t understand,” Chas warned him heatedly, tossing her hair back. “I love my son! There are plenty of things I’d do different if I could! I just hope Chrissie has more sense than I did back then. The last thing she needs is a man like you coming home drunk and roughing up her son. She’s well rid of you, if you ask me!”

“Well, I didn’t. Seems to me, you like passing off judgments on others. You just don’t care for it when others do the same to you.” They glared at each other, Robert sitting at the table and Chas standing in the kitchen waiting for her kettle to boil.

“I think it’s best if we go back to not speaking to each other,” she finally said.

“Gladly,” Robert agreed. He really should have just left it there, but feeling like the damage had already been done, he asked, “Have you seen Aaron around?”

If Robert thought she had been defensive when she was protecting Katie, it was nothing to her absolute fierceness now. She looked seconds away from tackling him! “Why do you want to know?” she asked.

“That’s my business, isn’t it?”

“Not when it has anything to do with my son. What do you want with him?” When Robert didn’t answer, she came closer, resting her hands on the table and leaning over him threateningly. “You’d better stay away from Aaron. If I catch you making trouble for him, you’ll regret it.” With that, Chas stormed away as the kettle began whistling shrilly.

Robert stood and turned it off, then used her water to make himself a cup of tea. He amused himself by thinking of what Chas would say if she knew what he and Aaron had got up to last night. Obviously he didn’t want anyone to know about their one off, but he still found it hilarious to imagine her face if she’d woken up and found them on the stairs, with Robert on his knees sucking Aaron off. It’d have served her right. Who did she think she was, warning him off? Robert would do as he liked, and there was nothing Chas could do about it. Just like she couldn’t do anything about it if Diane let him continue staying in the guestroom now that Chrissie had kicked him out for real.

Any traces of amusement fled when he belatedly remembered that he was supposed to be grabbing his things from Home Farm today. How could he have forgotten? He’d been so caught up in searching the village for Aaron that it had somehow slipped his mind that Chrissie had told him to go pick up his things. Robert tossed the rest of his tea down the sink. He needed to find Diane and ask her if he could stay for a while longer. Chas would no doubt be furious, but it was Diane’s place as much as it was hers. And besides, Robert had every intention of making his stay as short as possible.

*****

1-2 December 2014

There was something about lurking in front of a school, waiting on a boy who wasn’t his son, that made Robert worry that he looked like a bit of a creep. This was the best way to get at Lachlan though. The boy had few friends, and spent most of his time hibernating in his room. Lachlan was only ever consistently out by himself when he was going to and coming from school.

Robert had done a lot of creeping around today. Before this, he’d watched the garage for at least half an hour. Aaron had finally returned from wherever he’d been over the weekend, and he was working today. While Robert was a bit irritated that the young mechanic had disappeared (purely for the inconvenience it caused him, and for no other reason), he was hopeful that Aaron’s willingness to simply skip out without a word to Robert meant that he didn’t have any expectations about their night together. He seemed to be treating it like the meaningless one night stand that it was. Still, Robert had to be sure that Aaron would keep quiet about it. He had gone round the garage this morning and had seen him working. Unfortunately, Dan and Cain were there as well. Robert had hung around out of sight for a while, hoping the other men would clear out. He’d ended up leaving once Dan started singing Happy Birthday to Cain, worried he’d be spotted lurking.

Luckily, waiting for Lachlan proved a lot more fruitful. School let out, and a horde of children swarmed out of the building. Robert was worried for a moment that he wouldn’t be able to find Lachlan in the crowd, but then he had the idea to wait by the bus stop where the boy would need to catch the bus back to Emmerdale. It wasn’t long before he spotted the gloomy looking boy, but he had to sound the horn a few times before Lachlan took his earbuds out and approached Robert’s car.

“What do you want?” the boy asked. “If you want me to help you with my mum, it’s not going to happen.”

“I was in the area, and I thought you might like a ride home.”

“Whatever,” Lachlan said with a shrug, but he got in the car anyway. Robert put the Audi in first gear and started to drive.

“How are you doing?” Robert asked, trying to sound friendly.

“You mean after you punched me?”

“I’m really sorry about that, by the way,” Robert apologized. “I’ve been wanting to make it up to you, but with your mum so angry at me I thought it was best to keep my distance.”

“Yeah, she was livid,” Lachlan said with a smile, as if he thought it was all a good joke. “I’ve never seen her that angry before!”

“Yeah, well, I am sorry for that. I’m not proud of the way I acted that night. Chrissie was right to be cross with me. I do wish she had given me another chance, though,” Robert sighed, looking sad and hoping Lachlan would feel bad for him.

He should have known that tactic wouldn’t work. The boy was bordering on being a sociopath. In Robert’s experience, Lachlan rarely felt remorse for any of his actions, and he seldom empathized with others. All the boy said at Robert’s show of sadness was, “Well, you should have thought of that before you came home drunk.”

Robert gave a little laugh at that. “It wasn’t one of my finer moments, I’ll give you that. So, any idea what you’d like?” When the boy looked at him in confusion, Robert said, “I told you, I want to make it up to you. I feel really bad about hurting you, and I want to say sorry.”

The rest of the car ride was spent with Lachlan going back and forth over what he wanted. By the time Robert dropped him off at Home Farm, he had settled on a video game he wanted. When the boy got out of the car, Robert was feeling very pleased with himself. He’d taken the first steps toward winning the boy over. Lachlan had been expecting Robert to try asking him to put in a good word with Chrissie, so hopefully not doing that this time around would leave the boy unprepared for it the next time they met. He’d have to play it by ear, but he wasn’t too worried.

He was, after all, a very good salesman. It’s why Lawrence had promoted him to Sales Manager before he’d gotten all sour over Robert’s relationship with Chrissie. If Robert could convince grown men to give him their money, he had no doubt that he’d be able to convince Lachlan to help him with Chrissie. He just had to bide his time.

When he got back to the Woolpack, he found the pub done up for a party. There were pictures of Cain taped everywhere on the walls. Some were baby pictures, and some were group shots. There were even life-size cutouts of his head placed on random surfaces, including on the dart board. Robert thought he might go for a game of darts later, while it was still up.

His attention was soon grabbed by Aaron. His irritation at the other man was put aside for the moment. Aaron and Dan were wearing Cain masks, which were held in place over their faces with black elastic bands that wrapped around the backs of their heads. It was strange to see him playful. Robert was so used to him frowning and looking tough, that it took him by complete surprise that Aaron could be so carefree.

In an imitation of Cain, Dan deepened his voice and said, “Interests include wearing leather, intimidating people, and pulling a face like someone’s farted!”

“Don’t you flaming dare laugh at me!” Aaron growled, puffing out his chest. “I’ll kill a bloke with just my eyes!” Robert couldn’t stop the slow smile that spread across his face as Aaron spoke. Chas and Zak were stood beside the two mechanics, trying to hide their own grins. 

“If you don’t like it, you can do one!” Dan said, clearly quoting Cain now.

“Why don’t you do one?” Aaron responded, really getting into it now. Neither of them saw Cain approach them. To be fair, the masks probably limited their field of vision considerably. Cain reached out and punched Aaron on the back of his shoulder. “Ah!” the boy grunted, reaching up to pull the mask off. He looked over and spotted his uncle standing there looking angry… or like someone had just farted.

“You can both do one!” Cain said, giving them both the stinkeye.

“Surprise!” Aaron cheered weakly as Dan also lifted up his mask. Robert laughed, but he was far enough away that it didn’t call their attention.

As much as he’d been wanting to talk to Aaron, Robert decided that now was not the best time for it. He tried to convince himself that it wasn’t in part because he didn’t want to ruin the younger man’s fun. He just didn’t want to get into anything with so many Dingles around. That was asking for trouble.

Anyway, his reasons for leaving Aaron to enjoy the celebration of his uncle’s 40th birthday didn’t matter in the end. He got his chance to have that little chat after all.

The noise that came from the pub at night was often loud, but this time it was particularly raucous. The Woolpack was full of Dingles tonight, and they were bent on celebrating for one of their own. It kept him awake. He tossed and turned on the small bed, longing for the king sized mattress he’d shared with Chrissie. Even with two in the bed, he’d had more space than he did in the cramped twin.

He was still up after midnight when he heard the door to Aaron’s bedroom open and close. It was quiet for a few minutes, and then Aaron’s door sounded again before the air vent in the the bathroom across the hall turned on. Apparently the younger man was showering before bed. Robert huffed in irritation as he felt his body stir with interest. Damn it, now he was really not going to get any sleep!

Robert was tired, annoyed, and horny. When he heard the vent turn off and Aaron’s bedroom door close again, he couldn’t continue laying there. He gave it a few minutes, just long enough that he figured Aaron would be dressed. Before he could reconsider, Robert was up and knocking on Aaron’s door. Then the door was opening, and Aaron was standing in front of him. His short hair was still wet, and there was no denying how good he looked with his flannel pajama bottoms riding low on his hips, and a thin undershirt doing nothing to hide his nipples.

“Can I come in for a minute?” Robert whispered, not wanting to be overheard by Diane or Chas. Aaron nodded and stepped aside, opening his door wide. Robert stepped in, trying to keep his mind out of the gutter. He felt the tension between them as they stood in the middle of the room, keeping their distance. “Look, I just want to make sure we’re on the same page about what happened Friday night. It was a one off. It didn’t mean anything, alright?”

“Okay,” Aaron said, giving Robert yet another one of those unreadable looks. “You do realize it’s one in the morning? You couldn’t wait until tomorrow to say that?”

“Yeah, well I couldn’t exactly sleep with all that noise coming from downstairs, now could I?” Robert said, feeling defensive at Aaron’s tone. “I don’t know how any of you manage night after night, living over the pub.”

“Oh, right, I guess it’s not up to your standards?” Aaron mocked him, brows lowering angrily. “Tired of roughing it amongst us common folk?”

“I didn’t mean anything by it!” Robert protested. “But yeah, I am tired of being here! The sooner I’m back with Chrissie, the better.”

“You’re that sure she’ll take you back?” Aaron asked him, looking skeptical. “My mum told me what you did. As far as I’m concerned, Chrissie’s well rid!”

“That’s why you’re attacking me?” Robert asked, furious. “You’ve been listening to gossip I see. I’m not having you judging me! This whole mess is Lawrence’s fault. I earned his respect, ten times over. But he doesn’t give it out, because he’s all about making you dance to his tune. Like two weeks ago, when I was about to show my respect for my dead mother, he’s busy faking a heart attack! He did the same thing back in May before Chrissie and I could get married. He’s hated me ever since I started dating Chrissie, and he’s been sabotaging our relationship every chance he gets.”

“That doesn’t explain why you hit a child!” Aaron hissed, getting in Robert’s face. “You disgust me!”

Robert shoved Aaron back against the nearest wall, clenching his fists in the younger man’s white undershirt. “It was an accident! Yeah, maybe it was wrong of me to go home drunk and pick a fight with Lawrence, but he’s been provoking me for months. And hitting Lachlan was never supposed to happen. He stepped in front of Lawrence when I took a swing at him. Otherwise, I’d never have laid a finger on him!”

“Get off me,” Aaron warned, voice low and dangerous.

“Or what?” They glared at each other, tempers reaching critical levels.

They lunged at each other, mouths connecting hard as Robert ground their hips together. He rutted against the younger man, the friction along his cock driving him insane. Aaron tore at his clothes until Robert was shirtless. The feel of fingers that were calloused from years of hard work dragging against his chest made Robert groan. He held on tight to Aaron’s waist as he felt his knees tremble at the rush of skin on skin. It was a small miracle that his legs didn’t give out as the two of them stumbled across the room to land on the bed.

It was a mad frenzy to strip each other as quickly as possible, and then Robert was rolling on top of Aaron, pinning his wrists down as he kissed him. As good as it had been the first time, this was better. Robert felt powerful and in control as he straddled the other man. Aaron was no body-builder, but he was muscled from work, and the feeling of having all that strength caught under Robert, at his mercy, had him so turned on his cock was leaking precum steadily. It was dripping right down onto Aaron’s stomach. He watched wordlessly as the younger man freed one of his arms from Robert’s grasp and ran his fingers through it, where it puddled over his scarred belly. Blue eyes met his as Aaron licked it from his skin.

Moaning, Robert leaned down and kissed him, tasting himself on Aaron’s tongue. Impatient for more, he reached over to the bedside table, where he’d seen Aaron grab the lube the last time. He’d only just got his hand around the bottle when he was suddenly flipped over onto his back. He gasped, drowning in lust as the lube was torn from his grasp and Aaron nudged his legs apart, giving him access to Robert’s entrance. 

Lifting his legs, he grabbed onto the backs of his knees to give the other man a better angle. His efforts were rewarded when the first slick finger teased his hole, relaxing it before dipping in up to the first knuckle. He whimpered as Aaron used his free hand to play with Robert’s balls before wrapping his fingers loosely around Robert’s cock and starting a slow, maddening pace. “Faster!” he moaned.

“Not yet.” Robert glared at him, frustrated. Aaron chose that moment add a second finger, easing in and out. It left Robert panting as he stared frantically up at the other man. He was unable to look away, and he heard Aaron’s breathing pick up speed as they watched each other.

“Feels so good,” Robert moaned, making Aaron bite his lower lip. His own breath hitched when those fingers brushed his sweet spot. “Ooh, yeah, right there!”

“You like that?” Aaron asked him. Robert felt like those blue eyes of his were drinking him in, soaking in every move he made, down to the smallest twitch and the faintest shiver. “Tell me how much you like it,” the other man ordered, his voice going low and rough around the edges.

“Aaron!” he gasped as a third finger joined the first two, scissoring, stretching him open, while his other hand finally, _finally_ started to speed up.

“Tell me!”

“So much, ungh, so much! Don’t stop, please, please…” Robert begged, feeling sweat beading along his hairline. It was suddenly too intense, seeing Aaron gaze at him as he unraveled. Robert squeezed his eyes shut, almost sobbing when the other man eased his fingers out of him and let go of his cock. He heard Aaron rip open the foil on a condom, and he blinked his eyes open to watch the other man slip it onto his hard length.

Robert let go of his legs and started to turn over, intending to get onto his hands and knees, but Aaron placed a hand on his shoulder and shoved him back down onto his back. He almost protested, but his words got lost as he watched the other man position himself over him. With every other man he’d been with, Robert had found it easier to choose a position where they didn’t have to look at each other. He had always found it too intimate for his comfort. He let Aaron press him down onto the mattress, and gazed down his own body to watch as the other man lined himself up and started working his way in.

“Fuck!” he gasped, throwing his head back as Aaron sank into him. Screw it. It was too late to avoid undue intimacy anyway. He’d just finished staring at the man while Aaron stuck his fingers up Robert’s arse, for pity’s sake! It didn’t get much more intimate than that! He wrapped his legs around the other man and just gave into it. Tonight, Robert wanted to watch Aaron fuck him. He wanted to see pleasure wash over the other man. He wanted to see him completely lose it, and know it was him that had broken through the indifference he always seemed to regard Robert with.

Deciding that if he was going to try something new with Aaron, he may as well do it on his own terms. Robert pushed at him until the younger man got up off him and laid on his back. He straddled him and slowly lowered himself down onto the other man’s cock. The thrill of having control washed over him again, and he bent to give Aaron a sloppy kiss before he started to move. He felt the delicious burn in his thighs as he found his pace, using his leg muscles to help him fuck down onto the other man. Aaron’s hands gripped his hips hard, and Robert watched in triumph as the other man came apart.

He loved the way Aaron bit his lips as he tried to keep quiet. He loved the flush that crawled down the other man’s neck. Everything about Aaron was fucking gorgeous. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this turned on. They had barely gotten started, but Robert could already feel the momentum building. He drove himself down onto Aaron until he was shooting over the other man’s chest without ever having to touch himself. He lost his pace as he came. Aaron sat up and eased him backwards before holding him still and fucking him fast and hard. Robert just wrapped his arms around Aaron and held on until the younger man finally came with a cry, unable to keep quiet anymore.

He liked having Aaron’s weight on him after the younger man collapsed onto him, heedless of the mess Robert had spilled on his chest minutes before. He was almost sorry when the other man recovered enough to roll off of him. “How’s that for a one off?” Aaron said, still panting.

Robert laughed. He turned his head so he could look at the man sprawled out next to him, taking in his sweaty face, messy hair, and bright eyes. “Well, fuck,” he finally said. “Just let me catch my breath and we’ll go again, eh?”

“If you think you can keep up,” Aaron agreed. He raised his eyebrows at Robert and said, “You fell asleep pretty quick the last time.”

“I was just backed up!” he defended himself, amused at the way Aaron rolled his eyes. “Trust me, by the end of the night, you’re going to be very, very impressed.”

“So are you all talk then?” Aaron challenged him.

Robert crawled on top of him, then lowered his face until he could kiss those maddening lips. “Let me show you,” he whispered against Aaron’s mouth. “I’m going to make you eat your words.”

“I’d rather eat something else.” They were so close that Robert could feel Aaron’s lips brushing his as he spoke.

“Yeah? I’ll take you up on that,” he said, feeling his stomach tighten and his blood flow south. “Let’s call it my reward after I impress you with my amazing endurance.”

“Shut up.”

Robert didn’t even get offended at that. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Aaron closed the small distance between them, kissing him hard. Robert sank into it, enjoying Aaron’s taste. He then set about impressing the younger man, and if the amount of attention Aaron gave his backside while he was eating him out was any indication, Robert felt safe in assuming he had succeeded.


	8. Chapter 8

2 December 2014

Once again, Robert woke in Aaron’s bed alone. He was glad for it. He’d crossed enough lines the night before without waking up next to the man and sharing morning breath with him. Feeling distinctly uncomfortable in his own skin at the moment, he got out of bed and took a shower before going downstairs to scrounge up some breakfast. As he buttered his toast and sipped his morning coffee, he couldn’t help but think how different this day would be if he hadn’t made a mess of things with Chrissie. He certainly wouldn’t have started the morning off in some bloke’s bed! He’d be sitting in a busy kitchen, while Chrissie ran around trying to get Lachlan out of bed and ready for school. Robert would be getting himself prepared for a full day of work. He’d be checking emails on his phone and replying back to clients.

Things had changed dramatically for him since moving back to Emmerdale. He’d arrived in the village with a fiancee, a ready made family, and a good job. Now he had nothing except his car. He’d fallen fast and hard, and he was scrambling to put things back to how they were. Robert hated being unemployed and having to rely on his family. He was 28 years old, living with his stepmother and whiling away his days. It was depressing, and it was humiliating. No one in Emmerdale had liked him much to begin with, but as more people heard about how he’d been chucked and sacked, he was now treated to looks of sympathy in addition to the expressions of dislike. Robert was not a fan of sympathy or pity. He wanted people to respect him. He wanted them to envy him, and regret every bad thing they’d ever had the nerve to say to him.

He could still have that, but he had to make up with Chrissie in order to get it. And all of his plans relied on being able to convince Lachlan, a fickle and strange teenage boy, to go against Lawrence’s wishes and put in a good word for him with Chrissie. Robert would put on a class act for the boy, and make some promises to keep him happy. He knew what he had to do, he just had to make sure he didn’t get distracted.

After some thought, he decided that carrying on with Aaron might be a good thing. There was no denying the sex was fantastic. Robert could have his physical needs met while he carried out his plan, allowing him to focus. They shared a living space, so no one would look twice to see them talking or spending some time together. And to be honest, Robert needed some friends. There were entirely too many people who had a reason to hate him, and not enough people who’d be willing to take his side or stand up for him. It’d be nice to add someone to that short list of names who wasn’t family.

Robert headed over the garage and found Aaron working alone today. The young mechanic spotted him as he walked over and nodded to him. “So, this is where you ran off to,” Robert said as he got within talking distance.

“Didn’t think you’d want me to wake you,” Aaron said with a shrug. Robert suddenly realized his comment made it sound like he might be upset that Aaron had pulled another disappearing act the morning after.

“No worries,” he rushed to say. “I didn’t mind waking up alone. I just wanted to talk about a few things.”

“Now?” Aaron asked, eyebrows lowered in confusion. “What’s up then?”

“I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. My top priority is still to get Chrissie to forgive me. I love her, and I don’t want anything to get in the way of that.”

Aaron raised his eyebrows at Robert and gave a huff, shaking his head. “You really need to learn about timing,” he said. “The middle of the night and while I’m at work aren’t normally good times for me.”

“I don’t know, I think last night worked out pretty well,” Robert teased.

“Alright, you passed along your message. I’ve got things to do, you know,” Aaron pointed out, but he didn’t actually seem to be upset about the interruption.

“You sure you don’t want to sneak into the back of one of these cars?” Robert asked, only half joking.

“I don’t fancy getting caught balls deep by my cousin. Debs is due in any minute now. That might put a crimp in your plans to apologize to your fiancee.”

“It might,” Robert agreed.

“So does Chrissie know about this?”

“I’ve not exactly gotten around to going by hers and telling her I’ve slept with someone else,” Robert said, voice laced with sarcasm.

“I meant about your interest in blokes. It’s clear I wasn’t your first,” Aaron said.

“No, and I don’t intend to.”

“Why?” Aaron asked. He gave a shrug and said, “It’s not that big of a deal if you’re bisexual or whatever.”

“I’m not bisexual,” Robert corrected him. “So there’s nothing to tell.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. So why hide it?”

“Because she doesn’t need to know!” Robert told him, getting angry. “There’s nothing to tell.”

Aaron stared at him in disbelief. “You slept with me twice. You’ve slept with other men before. What do you mean there’s nothing to tell? Are you gay?”

“Of course not! I’m straight.”

“I hate to break it to you, mate, but straight men don’t sleep with other blokes. Are you in the closet or something?”

“What? No! I love Chrissie. I plan on marrying her.”

“Lots of gay blokes marry birds,” Aaron said. He gave another shrug. “It’s part of being in the closet, isn’t it? Being gay is nothing to be ashamed of. I can help you, if you want. I had a hard time, when I was coming out. I know what it’s like.”

“You and me are nothing alike,” Robert told him. “You don’t know me, so why don’t you just mind your own business?”

“Robert…” Aaron reached out to place a hand on Robert’s arm, but he slapped it away.

Robert turned to walk away, then paused and looked over his shoulder at the other man. “Whatever this was, it’s over.”

Robert stormed off, furious at Aaron for ruining a good thing with his stupid notions. All he’d wanted was something uncomplicated. That didn’t include having his sexuality questioned!

*****

Robert once again went to pick Lachlan up from school. This time, he came with the video game the boy had asked for. Robert spent more than half the ride listening to Lachlan rave about the game, trying to appear interested like a father would. They were only a short distance from the village when the boy finally grew tired of talking.

“Well, I hope it lives up to expectations,” Robert said. “How are things going at home?”

“If you’re asking about my mum, she’s fine,” Lachlan told him. When Robert glanced at him before turning his attention back to the road, he saw that Lachlan had crossed his arms and turned his face away. He was lying about Chrissie. Not that Robert wouldn’t have known the truth anyway. He knew she loved him. Breaking up with him hadn’t exactly been her idea. She had only broken off their engagement because of Lawrence and his lies.

“That’s good,” Robert said with a secretive smile. “And how are you doing? With school and all?”

“Look, I know what you’re doing, and it isn’t going to work. Granddad told me you’d try to change my mind. Mum’s better off without you. We all are.”

“How can you say that?” Robert asked, thinking murderous thoughts at the interfering old man. “Your mum and I were very happy together for over a year. We’re very much in love, you know.”

“I’m not putting in a good word for you,” Lachlan told him. “I actually think you’re better than some of the men she dated before, but Granddad told me all about how you’ve been treating him. His heart condition is all because of you!” They had just reached the outskirts of the village, and Lachlan took off his seatbelt. “Let me out here. I can walk the rest of the way.”

Robert had no choice but to pull over and let the boy out of his car. He drove off, slamming his fist against his steering wheel in frustration. Damn Lawrence! The old man had both Chrissie and Lachlan thoroughly convinced that Robert was the devil.

His options were getting extremely limited now. Robert could practically feel everything he’d worked for over the past couple of years slipping through his fingers. If he wanted to keep any of it - Chrissie, the big house, the expensive clothes, the entire lifestyle - he was going to have to get creative. And Robert very much wanted to keep it all. Failure was not an option.

*****

3 December 2014

The last few times he had seen Andy, they had gotten along pretty well. He was really hoping tonight wouldn’t undo all the progress he’d made with his brother. Especially since this dinner Diane and Victoria had planned was meant to help bring them all together as a family, not tear them further apart. Robert sat at the kitchen table with his brother, sister, and step-mum, trying not to let his bad mood lead him to say things he’d later regret. He didn’t want to be the one to ruin everything. Again.

Although if dinner was a bust, maybe this time he wouldn’t be the only one to blame. Andy was doing little better than Robert in maintaining enough cheer to satisfy Vic. Apparently, Lawrence was no longer interested in selling Wylie’s Farm to Andy and Katie for next to nothing. He was raising the asking price. Lawrence had only ever agreed on such a low price because he thought it would annoy Robert that he was basically gifting the farm to his brother, whom he had a very rocky relationship with.

It was almost a relief when their tense conversation about Wylie’s Farm was interrupted. Robert was just about to run his mouth off about how pointless it was to get angry at Lawrence for asking Andy and Katie to pay fair market value for the property, which no doubt would have lead to Vic glaring at him and Andy firing up. Robert just wished it was someone other than Aaron who interrupted them. He looked over his shoulder when the door swung open. The young mechanic hesitated at the door, eyes moving over each of their faces and the unhappy expressions they wore.

While he was distracted looking at the others, Robert let his eyes wander his body. Aaron wore his customary black jeans and tight black shirt, but this time the hoodie was a deep purple. The rich color actually looked quite nice on him, and somehow still very masculine. It peaked out from under a lightweight black parka. Robert had the unsettling urge to get up and pull the jacket off so he could get a proper look at Aaron in the purple hoodie.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t realize you were all here,” Aaron said. He looked ready to back out of the tense room.

“Oh it’s alright, Aaron! Come in!” Diane called out before the younger man could run off. “There’s plenty of food. You can get yourself a plate.”

The idea of having Aaron sit through what was sure to be another Sugden train wreck had Robert turning red in the face. He gave a huff before saying, in a very pointed way, “I’m sure he wouldn’t want to intrude! With this being a family meal, and all.”

It was the wrong thing to say. When Robert glanced back at the younger man, Aaron’s uncertainty over interrupting had vanished, replaced by his quick temper. “That sounds great, actually,” Aaron said, slamming the door shut behind him and walking further into the room. He met Robert’s eyes, defiant. “If that’s alright,” he added, in a tone that clearly said he’d sit down and eat with them, even if Robert complained.

The others were quiet as Aaron made his way to the counter to grab himself a plate. None of them seemed put off by his presence. Why would they be? Aaron seemed to fit in better with them than Robert did! Andy enjoyed working with him, and had only good things to say about him, even after having the police come by to investigate car thefts that Aaron admitted he was a part of. Vic used to date Aaron, and apparently stayed friends with him despite the fact that the mechanic was gay, and had clearly never actually loved her. And Diane seemed to regard Aaron as another son, or maybe a favorite nephew.

Then there were all the things he’d let Aaron do to him. Clearly the boy had a way with the Sugdens, down to getting into their pants. Robert had been staring at his own plate, but he raised his eyes in time to catch Aaron glancing at him over his shoulder.

Robert looked away and set down his knife and fork. “It was a nice thought, Diane, but it’s not going to work, is it? Thanks for a lovely meal.” Robert stood and left the table. He grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and headed out.

“Robert!” he heard Vic call out to him, but he didn’t bother to stop.

He felt like an idiot as soon as he left the room, but it was too much to even consider turning straight back around and facing all the stares as he apologized for his outburst. Robert went outside for some fresh air. It was wet and cold out, so he stood with his back to the pub’s stone facade, letting the large building shield him from some of the wind and rain. He stood there for some time, long enough that Aaron had apparently finished up eating.

The young mechanic walked out and spied him standing there. He approached Robert and stood next to him, leaning against the building companionably. “Sorry for crashing your dinner.”

“It wasn’t exactly going well before you arrived,” Robert told him with a shrug.

“I always wanted a brother until I met you two,” Aaron told him. He couldn’t help but smile at that, amused despite himself. The other man caught the smile and said, “Listen, I’m going into town later, for a beer. You can join me if you want.”

“You what?” Robert said. He was tempted to go, but he knew if he did that something would happen between them again.

Aaron gave an awkward shrug and a smile. “You know, as mates.” He was extending the proverbial olive branch. He was offering to be friends, without the complications of sex added into it. More than once, Robert had thought about how without Chrissie, he was friendless in Emmerdale. This was a chance to change that.

It made him feel hopeful. And vulnerable; so horribly, horribly vulnerable and alone. He responded automatically, becoming defensive. “Why on earth would I want to go anywhere with you?”

He felt like an arse when Aaron’s smile disappeared. The younger man bit his lip, then nodded. “Suit yourself.”

And once again, he had no one but himself to blame for ruining things. Robert watched Aaron walk away, his shoulders hunched against the rain.

*****

4 December 2014

Robert had gone to bed earlier than usual, and slept for four hours before waking up at one in the morning. His thoughts immediately went to Aaron, and his offer of friendship. Remembering how well it had worked out for him the last time he had knocked on the other man’s door at this time of night, he got up out of bed. He made sure to knock softly, so as not to bother anyone, but when the door remained stubbornly shut, Robert thought perhaps Aaron couldn’t hear him. So he knocked again, before sneaking into the room uninvited.

“Aaron?” he called out. The room was quiet. Robert made his way to the bed in the dark. “Aaron, it’s Robert. Are you awake?” Cursing the blackout curtains that blocked any light from coming in through the windows, he reached out toward the bed, feeling around for Aaron.

He wasn’t there.

Letting himself back out of the room, Robert shut the door behind him and rested his back against it. Aaron had said he was going to town for a beer. He had clearly decided to go on his own, or with some other mates. It was incredibly stupid, considering how rudely he’d turned down the offer earlier, but Robert couldn’t help but feel hurt that Aaron had gone without him. Yes, his feelings were definitely hurt, and even stupider, he was jealous. Again! Robert couldn’t believe how often he got jealous over Aaron’s attention. It had happened when he heard that Vic used to date him. It had happened when he thought Aaron was interested in Chrissie. And now it was happening again because he thought the other man was out there enjoying the night with friends he liked better than Robert. Or he’d gone out alone and was too busy fucking some other man to come home at a decent time.

The worst part wasn’t even that Robert felt jealous, it was that each time it happened, he knew he had no right.

Feeling sour, Robert went downstairs to grab himself a glass of water. Maybe he had no right to be jealous, but this time at least his reasons for it were slightly better. When he’d gotten upset about Vic and Chrissie, it was because he had his own interest in Aaron, and hadn’t liked the thought of anyone else having him until he could. This time, it had less to do with wanting to get in the man’s pants, and more to do with the fact that at some point, he actually had started to think of Aaron as his friend. That was new for Robert. He’d had friends before he and Chrissie moved back to Emmerdale, but if there was one commonality among them, it was that they all had connections. Robert never got friendly with someone who couldn’t give him something if or when he needed it.

It was different with Aaron, and maybe that explained the whole attraction Robert had felt for him from the start. The younger man was often gruff, but he was also very genuine. He was honest, and he didn’t take any of Robert’s crap. Somewhere deep in the back of his own head, he’d started thinking of Aaron as a mate. Unknowingly, of course. If he had realized it earlier, he’d have run for the hills before ever hopping into bed with the man.

Robert had a hard time letting anyone close. Not unless he wanted something from them, like with Chrissie. He’d been attracted to her money first, and had pursued her for his own self-interest. Along the way, he’d come to love her, and that’s why he had proposed instead of just letting her lavish him with expensive gifts until he grew tired of her. With Aaron it was different. He had absolutely nothing to offer Robert except his time and his company. Even when they weren’t having sex, Robert enjoyed being around Aaron. It was nice to just talk to someone without being concerned that they were only being nice so he’d put in a good word for them with Lawrence, or so that he would buy them things, or so that they could try to get at Chrissie and steal her from him.

Robert ended up settling down in front of the television and turning it on, even though he knew it would look weird. Still, he sat there for an hour, watching absolute rubbish, until he finally heard the door open. He kept his eyes on the screen, trying to maintain some sort of dignity. Even he wasn’t so far gone that he could forgive himself for running over to check on Aaron, and make sure there wasn’t some random bloke trying it on with him.

“Robert?” Aaron called when he noticed him sitting there. Robert just looked over at him, not knowing what to say. “What are you doing up?”

“Nothing. I got thirsty,” he said, pointing at the glass of water he had placed on the coffee table.

Aaron came to sit on the sofa next to him, resting at the edge of the cushion and placing his elbows on his knees. He clasped his hands and rested his chin on them. “You sure you weren’t waiting up for me? Making sure I didn’t bring another bloke home?”

“Right, because I’m some lovesick puppy,” Robert laughed. His jealousy and anger was suddenly wiped away, gone now that Aaron was here going back and forth with him. He quite enjoyed their banter. Robert got comfortable on the sofa. He laid back, propping his head up on the armrest. He let his left leg hang off the sofa, and he raised his right knee up and let it rest against the back. Robert tucked one arm behind his head, knowing he looked good. Sure enough, Aaron glanced at him, then kept on looking.

“Not lovesick; it’s not your style, is it?” Aaron agreed.

“Too right it’s not.”

“You’re jealous.”

“Of what? You?” Robert scoffed, once again turning defensive.

“I don’t get you, Robert. That first time, when we… I get that. Sometimes things just happen, right? I even understand why it happened again. The first time was pretty great, weren’t it, and you wanted to do it again. But this, right here? I don’t get it. You told me it was all done with, and then you tell me you don’t even want to be friends, and now I come home and find you on the sofa waiting for me.”

“That’s not how it was,” Robert protested. “I just couldn’t sleep is all.”

“And you do this often, yeah? Just sit here on the sofa watching telly? Thing is, I’m up pretty late most nights, and I’ve never seen you here. Not once.”

“What’s your point?” Robert asked angrily. He was furious, but there was a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that was cold and felt a lot like fear.

“I don’t know what my point is,” Aaron said, frustrated. His rubbed his face with his hands, then scratched at his growing beard as he said, “I think you’re confused, and you don’t even know it. You say you want to get back with Chrissie, but here you are, sitting with me.”

“It’s the middle of the night, Aaron. It’s not exactly optimal timing to try winning her over.”

“So what were you doing earlier? Before you had dinner with your family. You’re not working, you have all this time on your hands, but I don’t think you stopped by at Home Farm to talk to her. Seems to me you’re not trying all that hard to get her back.”

“Just stop, alright? I know you have this theory that I’m gay and hiding it, but I love Chrissie. I want to marry her.”

“If you say so,” Aaron said. Robert looked at him, noticing a change in his voice. He sounded more like he had the first few times they’d ever spoken: dismissive, and unimpressed. Aaron sat back on the sofa, looking bored. Bored, and sexy as hell. Despite how uncomfortable this entire heart to heart was for Robert, he still had eyes, and it was hard to ignore how fit the other man was. He was sitting back, with his knees set wide, bringing attention to the right area. Robert had to tear his eyes from Aaron’s jean-clad lap and regarded the other man’s profile instead. Aaron had rested his head back and was staring up at the ceiling. From this angle, Robert could see just how long his dark lashes were, and how straight and perfect his nose was. They were little things that combined to make one hell of an attractive man.

That thought made Robert sit up and shift closer to Aaron, close enough that he could look down at his face. Those blue eyes focused on Robert instead of the ceiling. “You’re looking too deeply at it,” Robert told him. “It’s simple. You’re a good looking man, Aaron Livesy. I’d have to be blind not to see it. And yeah, that first time was pretty great for me too. Second time was even better. You’re good in bed, and I’m lonely without Chrissie. And yeah, maybe I do want to be mates. It’s not complicated.”

“Maybe,” Aaron agreed. “Or maybe you just wish it was that simple.”

“It is,” Robert said, voice firm, confident. He reached out and placed his hand on the other man’s knee, watching Aaron’s face as he slowly ran it up the inside of his thigh. “It’s very, very simple,” Robert whispered. He leaned forward and kissed along Aaron’s jaw as he feathered his fingers over the bulge in those tight black jeans that had caught his attention just a minute earlier. He nuzzled Aaron’s neck while he undid his jeans, pushing the fly apart so he could cup him through his black briefs. The other man was still soft, and Robert nipped at his neck as he started to massage him, rubbing at him through the thin barrier of cloth that separated skin from skin.

Robert smiled against Aaron’s neck as he felt his cock hardening. A thrill ran through him, at how powerful he felt knowing that it was him doing this to Aaron. The knowledge that he could make this troublesome boy respond to his touch had Robert hardening and his skin heating up. He moved his face so he could kiss him, delighting in the way Aaron moved his lips, his tongue against Robert’s.

When he finally pulled away, he was short of breath. Robert tugged at Aaron’s jeans until he lifted his hips, letting Robert pull them down his thighs. He carefully tugged the black boxer briefs down over Aaron’s hard on. He felt the other man grip the back of his neck, guiding him down until Robert’s head was just over his lap. Licking his lips, he bent down over Aaron’s cock and took the head into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue as he brought his left hand up to rub his balls. His own excitement heightened when Aaron groaned and shifted his hand from the back of Robert’s neck to fist into his shaggy hair.

He licked along the shaft, using his saliva to coat the skin there before using his right hand to stroke Aaron’s cock. Robert ran his tongue over his balls, and then began gently sucking one, then the other. He worked up to it, getting a feel for it before carefully taking both into his mouth. Aaron gasped, his fingers tightening in Robert’s hair. This was the first time he’d ever tried this. Of course he had given blowjobs before, but Aaron was the first bloke he’d been with multiple times. A one night stand was usually quick and passionate. This was passionate too, but Robert felt more comfortable taking his time. He had always enjoyed having his own balls sucked, and he’d tried it a bit with other men. This time he took it slowly, and now he could say it was pretty awesome from the giving side of things as well.

It was amazing having the other man’s balls in his mouth, feeling the fullness of them against his tongue and cheeks. He let them slide past his lips with a pop, enjoying how Aaron’s hips jerked up at the sudden loss of Robert’s mouth on him. For a moment, the other man’s grip on his hair forced him down again, but Aaron quickly let up. Robert took his cock into his mouth, trying to wordlessly show him that he didn’t mind it when Aaron got forceful with him.

He moaned eagerly when Aaron’s fist tightened in his hair. Seeming to understand, the younger man’s touch became rougher. He held Robert’s head in place, using his hips and thighs to gently thrust upwards into Robert’s mouth. He found a rhythm with his breathing, taking in air through his nose every time Aaron’s hips lowered. They found their pace, Aaron fucking deeper and deeper down his throat until Robert’s nose was buried against dark curls, held captive as Aaron came.

When the other man let him go, he rose up off him, gasping for air. “See?” he panted, smiling as he took in Aaron’s unfocused eyes and damp skin. His short hair was mussed, as if at some point he had run his hand through it. “It’s very simple,” he told him.

“Right. Want me to return the favor, as long as we’re keeping it simple?” In answer, Robert hurried to stand and shove his pajamas down his thighs, revealing how aroused he’d gotten by giving the other man a blowjob. Snorting in amusement, Aaron sat up and reached for Robert’s hips, maneuvering him until he was standing between Aaron’s knees. The other man was about to lower his head when they heard the stairs creaking. Someone was coming downstairs.

Panicked, Robert rushed to pull his pajama bottoms back up while Aaron jumped to his feet and did up his jeans. They had just barely gotten themselves sorted when Diane appeared in the doorway. “Aaron? Robert? What are you two doing up?”

“Just having a chat,” Aaron told her as Robert shielded himself behind the shorter man, knowing his erection was pretty obvious at the moment.

“We were just about to turn in,” Robert said. Aaron glanced at him over his shoulder, then did a double take.

“Christ, you look like you’ve been sucking cock! Keep your head down,” Aaron hissed quietly. Robert stared at the floor, realizing his lips must be red and swollen after going down on Aaron. The two of them shuffled past Diane, trying not to look suspicious and probably failing. A glance at her face showed a puzzled expression. Robert couldn’t get up the stairs fast enough.

He was desperate to get to the guestroom, but Aaron took his arm and pulled Robert into his own room after him.

“What are you doing?” Robert demanded quietly as Aaron walked through the dark to turn on the bedside lamp.

“She’s not going to come in here, is she?” Aaron pointed out as he came and pushed Robert toward the bed. He resisted, digging his heels in.

“What if she hears us?”

Sighing, Aaron went over and grabbed one of his pillows, flinging it at Robert. He caught it before it could smack him in the face. “Bite that if you can’t keep quiet,” Aaron told him as he took off his sexy purple hoodie. When Robert just stood there, watching uncertainly as the other man took his clothes off, Aaron rolled his eyes in exasperation. “You can always go to bed and just jerk off, but I guarantee the blowjob I was going to give you feels a lot better.”

As far as arguments went, it was a convincing one. Robert tossed the pillow back on the bed and got undressed. “This blowjob better be amazing, is all I’m saying, if I’m risking Diane catching us out.”

He needn’t have bothered with the warning. The blowjob was incredible, even though Robert nearly suffocated himself with the pillow in his attempts to go unheard.


	9. Chapter 9

5 December 2014

Waking up in Aaron’s bed was turning into a bad habit for him. He could argue that the bed was bigger and more comfortable than his own and that’s why he stayed the night - which would be true. But it was only half the truth. It would be far more honest to say that after their late night activities, it was far easier to just go to sleep where he was. Yes, he could wait until his muscles stopped trembling and his heartbeat stopped racing in order to get up, get dressed, and get out, but why would he want to? Since Aaron hadn’t complained, Robert thought maybe the younger man didn’t care if he stuck around.

This was the first morning he woke before Aaron. Robert slowly came to, warm and relaxed under the blankets. He snuggled there for a moment before he realized that he was spooning the younger man, his arm wrapped around Aaron’s waist to pull him close against Robert’s chest. When he opened his eyes, he found that he had nuzzled his face against the back of the other man’s neck. He could tell by Aaron’s deep breathing that he was still fast asleep. Robert thought about letting go and putting some space between them, or even getting up and leaving, but decided he wasn’t awake enough for that yet. Determined not to overthink it, he just squeezed Aaron a little closer against him and dozed off again.

Robert could have sworn he’d only just closed his eyes, but what felt like a second later, Aaron was awake and seemed like he’d been trying to free himself from Robert’s tight grip for a while. Embarrassed, he let go of the younger man. “Sorry,” he muttered. He’d been clinging to Aaron like he was an oversized teddy bear.

He expected Aaron to get up out of bed, but instead he turned over onto his other side so that he was facing Robert. “You up for a quick one?” Aaron asked, propping himself up on his elbow and leaning over Robert, one of his hands already beginning to stroke Robert’s side provocatively.

“Yeah,” he said, caught off guard. He was still a bit groggy, which was his only excuse for not turning Aaron down and getting his arse out of there.

Just a few days ago, he’d woken up in this bed and was glad to find Aaron gone, to avoid being too intimate. This was meant to be casual, and there was just something about waking up next to someone, lingering in bed with them, and indulging in slow, decadent morning sex that seemed to cross certain boundaries. Robert knew that, but he’d still stayed in bed this morning when he should have left. He still let Aaron throw the covers off of them and start exploring his body with hands and lips. He still pressed his face into Aaron’s neck and gave him love bites as the other man began rubbing their cocks together. All Robert could do was squeeze his eyes shut and let the pleasure build until he was shooting across their chests. As he lay there gasping, he watched the other man get to his knees and tug at himself, positioned so that when he came, he spilled over onto Robert’s chest, marking him.

He sprawled across the mattress, covered in Aaron’s cum and enjoying it entirely too much.

Aaron sat back on his heels, panting for a moment before he caught sight of the time. “Fuck, I’m late!” The leisurely morning came to an abrupt end, but Robert felt too good to mind. Aaron scrambled off the bed, and grabbed some tissues from on top of the bedside table to clean up quickly before dressing himself. Robert watched, enjoying it most when Aaron got to the part where he was pulling his jeans up over his arse.

“Want to grab a pint later or something?” Aaron asked as he grabbed a hoodie and zipped it up.

“Alright,” Robert agreed, just laying there and enjoying how relaxed his muscles felt.

“Sound. I’ll see you later.” Aaron came over and ran a finger over Robert’s chest, bringing it to his mouth to lick their mingled juices from it. The sight made his heart jump in his chest, and his spent cock made a valiant attempt to come to attention. “You going to lay in bed all day? I might not mind coming home from work and finding you prepared for me.”

“Shut up,” Robert told him, rolling his eyes. Aaron gave a laugh before he rushed out, making sure to close the door behind him.

Sighing, he got up, sneaked out of Aaron’s room, and hopped in the shower. He made his way downstairs, thinking about his breakfast, when he got an unexpected surprise. Chrissie was sitting at the kitchen table with Diane.

“Finally!” Diane exclaimed when she spotted him. “I went upstairs to check on you, but you were in the shower. I’ll leave the two of you alone, shall I?” Robert watched his step-mum stand and hurry from the room before turning his attention to Chrissie.

“Morning,” he said cautiously. He was at a loss as to why she was here, but he was willing to be pleased about it. At least she was initiating contact with him now instead of just writing him off.

She got to her feet, stepping in closer. “I’m so sorry,” she said, gazing up at him earnestly. “I’m so sorry I doubted you!”

“It’s alright,” he soothed, reaching out to rub her shoulder comfortingly. He was thrilled when she tucked in close, hands splayed against his chest as she cuddled in against him. Robert wrapped his arms around her, holding her. “What’s happened?”

She pulled back just enough that she could look up at him. “Dad had a heart attack yesterday.”

“Are you alright?” he asked. He belatedly realized he probably should have been asking if Lawrence was alright, but he couldn’t really find it in him to care.

“No, I’m not alright,” she said, looking unbelievably hurt and sad. “He lied to me, Robert! He lied, just to break us up!”

Robert hardly dared to believe what he was hearing. She finally realized what a liar her father was. Robert just wasn’t sure how the truth had come out. “I know,” he soothed her, bringing her in close again until she was resting her head against him. “It’ll be alright.”

“How could he do that?” she asked, shaking in his grip as he comforted her. “How could he do that to me? Just lie like that? I thought I knew him!”

“Sh,” he soothed her. Robert felt like cheering, but he restrained himself. He tried to sound concerned when he asked, “What happened?”

“He was yelling at Nicola after she’d messed up on one of the accounts, and then he grabbed his chest and… Nicola called it in, and they took him to hospital. I’m so sorry, Robert,” she apologized again. “I was there when they were asking for his history. I heard when he told them it was his first heart attack.”

“Hey, listen to me,” Robert said, moving back and placing his hands on her shoulders. “It’s fine. We’re going to be just fine, now that the truth is out.”

“I just feel so stupid,” she confessed. “Can you forgive me?”

His first thought was to say yes, but he bit back his response. “I’m still upset you didn’t believe me,” he told her. It was true, but he figured he’d be able to use this against her for quite some time. “I know we’ll make it past all this, but it’s just going to take a bit of time.”

Chrissie nodded, unable to speak as her face crumpled. “I’ll make it up to you,” she promised, reaching out to run her hand down his chest.

Smiling, Robert pulled her in for another hug. “I know you will,” he told her as he rested his cheek against her silky hair.

*****

8 December 2014

It was amazing just how right his life suddenly became. He and Chrissie had talked things over Friday morning in Diane’s kitchen. They were officially back together, and still engaged. However, she wanted him to wait before moving back in with her, and she also wanted to push their February wedding back to March.

Chrissie wanted to take things slowly, out of concern for how this would affect Lachlan. She now believed that her son had been coerced by Lawrence into making up lies about Robert, but she still worried over how he would react to being called out on it. Robert thought she was being a bit soft, but he didn’t want to rock the boat too much by pushing the issue.

Although not pleased that he had to continue living at the pub, he was slightly appeased when he got the Estate Manager position. On Saturday, he went with Chrissie to visit Lawrence. After she threatened to move out and leave Emmerdale entirely, the old man had gotten desperate. He promised to fire Nicola from the position and give the job to Robert, like he should have done from the very beginning. Chrissie might have insisted that they leave, but Robert persuaded her against it. He very much wanted the job, and the money that went with it. Besides, now that he was on reasonably good terms with his family, he didn’t mind the idea of staying in Emmerdale, however much of a fuss he had put up when they originally moved here.

Today was his first day as the Estate Manager. He got up early and drove to Home Farm where he spent the morning in the office going through all the accounts, catching up on everything and working out some of the mess Nicola’s inexperience had created. He was surprised when he realized how many hours had passed while he was absorbed in his work. Robert had just decided he’d go to the cafe to grab some lunch when the door to the office opened. Lawrence walked in, his expression grave as he regarded Robert sitting at his desk, files spread out around him.

“Robert,” Lawrence greeted him. Robert crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, waiting to see what the old man wanted. “I’ve been told by Chrissie that I owe you a real apology. Apparently I have to make it a good one, or she’s going to pack up with my grandson and leave. I suppose she’ll take you with her, but that’s not much of a loss, is it?”

“This is your idea of an apology?” Robert asked. “Frankly, I think it’s lacking. I don’t think this is what Chrissie had in mind, do you?”

“Let’s not play games here,” Lawrence said, coming to sit on the far corner of Robert’s desk. He folded his hands on his lap as he tried to stare Robert down. “I’m not here for an apology. I did what I thought was best for my family. We both know you’re a liar and a cheat. It’s what makes you a good businessman, and a terrible husband for my daughter. I’m here to see just how much it’s going to take to make you go away.”

Robert was surprised to find himself tempted by the offer. “I love Chrissie. I’m not going to take a payoff just because you don’t like me.”

Lawrence smirked, as if he guessed that Robert had considered it for a moment. “If it’s the amount you’re worried about, don’t be. I’m very motivated to see the last of you. I’m thinking… six digits ought to do it?”

“You’re not getting rid of me, especially not now that Chrissie knows what a liar you are. Look at what you were willing to put your daughter through, just because you don’t like me. And you have the nerve to call me the liar?” Robert shook his head at the old man. “I’m not going anywhere, so you’d better get used to me now.”

“I’ve met men like you before. They can be bought at the right price. I just need to figure out what yours is.”

“Good luck with that,” Robert told him.

“We’ll see.” Lawrence stood up from his place on the edge of the desk and started walking out of the office.

“Hang on,” Robert said. Lawrence paused, turning around. “I need your signature on this.” Robert placed a piece of paper on the desk and eagerly watched his face, waiting for his reaction when he read the contract. “I think this covers that apology you were supposed to give me. You did say Chrissie wanted you to make it a good one, right? Sign that, and I’ll make sure to let her know you were very sincere when you apologized.”

Lawrence looked up from the contract, enraged. His calm had finally cracked. It was about time he realized he was no longer holding all the cards in this game. “You’re mad if you think I’m signing this, this… joke! This isn’t a contract! It’s just one more money-grasping scheme of yours. Well, I won’t have it. There’s no way I’m signing this, and you can be sure Chrissie will hear about it.”

Robert shrugged, swiveling his office chair slowly from side to side. “Go ahead, show it to Chrissie. I think you’ll find she agrees that’s fair compensation for the pain you’ve caused us.”

“Robert, this contract gives you a salary far above what the position entitles you to, and this bonus you’ve added in is ridiculous! Chrissie can’t possibly know about this.”

He was right, she actually didn’t know, but Robert was willing to bet she’d go along with it if Lawrence did bring it up. Chrissie had a temper, and once she was angry… well. The saying “hell hath no fury” seemed to fit. “Don’t you get it?” Robert asked him. “She’s furious at what you’ve done. If it weren’t for me insisting we stay, she’d already be in the car on her way out of Emmerdale. Chrissie hates you right now, and she wants you to pay for what you tried to do.”

Lawrence glared at him, speechless for a moment. “We’ll see about this,” he finally said. Robert didn’t bother trying to hide his amusement, and it aggravated Lawrence enough that he stormed out of the room. Robert had won this round. Chrissie wasn’t going to be taking Lawrence’s side in much of anything for the foreseeable future. Robert was sure that when he came in for work tomorrow, he’d find the signed contract on his desk waiting for him. Or if Lawrence tried putting it off, Robert would just remind him that he was the only thing keeping Chrissie in Emmerdale, and if Lawrence didn’t sign the contract… That didn’t give Robert much incentive to stay, now did it?

He was in a wonderful mood when he went to grab his lunch at the cafe. Robert decided to try his luck and popped in at the pub and then at the garage, hoping to catch Aaron alone. Much to his disappointment, the mechanic was nowhere to be found. Robert had some apologizing of his own to do, although his would be much more sincere than Lawrence’s. Before Chrissie had turned up Friday morning, Aaron had asked to meet for drinks that night. Robert had been so caught up with Chrissie that it wasn’t until he was driving her to a restaurant in Hotten for dinner that he remembered. He had taken out his phone to give Aaron a call or a text, but was a bit taken aback when he realized he’d somehow never taken down the other man’s number.

After he’d checked around for Aaron, Robert made his way back to Home Farm. He wondered if the younger man was avoiding him. No one liked to be stood up, so Robert would understand if the other man was angry about it. Still, he’d told Aaron before that Chrissie was his priority. Surely he understood why Robert had needed to be with his fiancee. Of course he understood.

He was so convinced that Aaron understood, that he was shocked when he went to the pub with Chrissie for dinner and spotted Aaron having drinks with Finn. Robert felt himself go red in the face when he saw them. He did his best to ignore the two men and focus on Chrissie while she updated him on how her work was going, but his traitorous eyes kept shifting back in the their direction. Was it a date? Was Aaron trying to make him jealous, because it definitely wasn’t working.

“Robert?” Chrissie said, calling his attention back.

“Sorry, just got distracted for a moment.”

“Is it work? How were things today, now that you’re back to take care of things properly?” she asked, smiling at him.

“Well, the accounts are a mess, but I was expecting that,” Robert told her. He was about to go into it when he heard the scrape of a chair being shoved back. Finn had jumped to his feet and was making his way to the toilets. Robert noted, with some satisfaction, that the boy looked upset. Aaron rolled his eyes but ended up chasing after him, which wasn’t as satisfying to witness.

“What do you think that was about?” Chrissie asked, sounding interested.

“I’m not sure,” Robert told her, feeling horribly curious about what had set the boy off.

“Are they…?” Chrissie trailed off, and Robert’s attention shifted from the direction of the toilets back to her. She had raised her professionally shaped eyebrows at him, hinting at her meaning.

“God no,” Robert said, and his vehemence made Chrissie laugh.

“Well, they are both gay, aren’t they?” she pointed out. “You’d think there might be something there. I think they would make an adorable couple, don’t you?”

“Finn’s not his type,” Robert muttered, annoyed.

“What’s wrong with poor Finn then?” Chrissie wanted to know, still looking amused at what she clearly thought was a lover’s spat, despite Robert’s insistence that it wasn’t. “Is it the glasses?” she teased.

“Just because they’re the only two gay men in the village doesn’t mean they’re together,” Robert insisted. He happened to say it just as Vic walked by their table. She paused when she overheard Robert, and then started looking around for the two men.

“Did they leave together?” Vic demanded, crossing her arms disapprovingly. “I swear, if Aaron hurts Finn again, I’ll kill him!”

“It actually didn’t seem to be going too well. Aaron had to chase after him. I wouldn’t count on a second date for those two,” Chrissie said conspiratorially. She was having way too much fun with this.

“It probably wasn’t a date at all,” Robert said. “They were just having drinks together or something.”

“You do know you just described a date?” Vic pointed out. Robert almost protested, but suddenly found himself speechless when he recalled that he was supposed to go for drinks with Aaron on Friday. Had the other man asked him on a date, and he just hadn’t realized? His confusion was probably written all over his face, but neither woman was paying attention. “Anyway, I just hope Finn’s alright. Oh, look, there he is! Does he look angry to you? Angry is better than hurt, right? I’d better go after him,” she said as she and Chrissie watched the boy storm from the toilets to the exit. Vic hurried after him, but Robert had eyes only for Aaron. The mechanic had also reappeared, but it was difficult to tell if he looked more annoyed than usual. He walked around the bar and went through to the back.

“I’m surprised there’s always so much going on in a small village like this,” Chrissie said, sipping at her glass of wine. “Listen, why don’t we get away from all these people? You buy us another bottle of red and we can head over to your room. Unlike some people, I’ve actually enjoyed my night, and I want to end it on the right note,” Chrissie murmured. Robert held still as she leaned in to kiss him softly.

“As tempting as that sounds, we can’t,” Robert told her after she pulled away. “My room’s right next to Aaron’s. He’ll hear us.”

“Yes, that might be a bit like rubbing his nose in it.” She had no idea. Chrissie sighed, finishing off the last of the wine in her glass. “We’ll have to call it a night, I’m afraid. I have to get home to Lucky, but I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

He’d only just got her back, but tonight, Robert could hardly wait to see the back of her. As soon as she was gone, he followed Aaron’s path to the back and went in search for him. It didn’t take long to figure out that he was gone. Whether he was making it up to Finn or out with someone else, Robert had no way of knowing. Either way, he didn’t like it. If Aaron was avoiding him, then Robert was going to have to find a way to ambush him and make him see sense.

*****

9 December 2014

Before heading over to Home Farm for the day, Robert stopped at the cafe to order an Americano. He had just stepped out, drink in hand, when he spotted Aaron walking toward the pub. Seeing his chance, Robert hurried after him. He barged in through the back to find Aaron in the kitchen, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. The younger man glanced up at him, then had the nerve to roll his eyes when he saw Robert was headed straight for him.

“What?” Aaron asked as he poured milk over his cereal.

“Are you finished ignoring me?” Robert asked him, coming to stand next to him. Aaron grabbed his bowl, walking away from Robert to sit at the kitchen table. “Look, I’m sorry I stood you up for drinks, but Chrissie wanted to have dinner. I was hardly going to turn her down! And I tried to call you, but I didn’t realize I don’t have your number until it was too late.”

“Doesn’t matter, does it?” Aaron asked him. “You’re back with Chrissie now.”

“I told you from the beginning that Chrissie was my priority-”

“I know, I get it,” Aaron interrupted him. “I’m not trying to get between you. She’s taken you back, and you’re going to get married.” The younger man shrugged, raising his eyebrows at Robert. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“We could carry on,” Robert said, voice quiet as he stepped closer to Aaron, standing over him. “I’m not married yet.”

“What difference does it make? Today, a month from now - it’s still going to be over.”

“I don’t know about you, but a month from now sounds better than today,” Robert said, reaching out to touch the other man’s face.

Aaron moved back, away from his hand. The small rejection bit deep. Robert watched as the younger man got to his feet, so that they were on even footing. “Today works for me just fine. A month from now complicates things, don’t it?”

“Why are you being like this?”

“Robert, you sat on that sofa right there last week and said you wanted it simple,” Aaron said, pointing over to the sofa where Robert vividly remembered going down on him. “This is as simple as it gets. We’re done.”

“I also said I’d like to be friends,” Robert told him.

“So we’re friends,” Aaron said. “Friends don’t sleep together, do they?”

“Some do,” he teased, but the joke fell flat when Aaron huffed and shook his head. “Fine, just friends then,” Robert agreed.

“Fine.” They stood there, looking at each other. There was only a small distance separating their bodies, but there may as well have been a chasm between them. Robert stared into Aaron’s blue eyes, wanting to lean forward and kiss those lips, stroke his hand along that scruffy jaw.

The younger man broke the intensity of the moment, turning his face aside.

Robert left the room and headed back outside. They had agreed to be friends, but somehow he didn’t feel very reassured after their little chat. He drove to Home Farm and let himself in with the key Chrissie had returned to him. Robert stepped into the office and sat at his desk, sighing as he leaned back in the chair. There was a piece of paper waiting for him on his desk, and he grabbed it.

It was the contract, signed by Lawrence.

He looked it over, wanting to make sure the old man hadn’t tried to pull a fast one on him by changing any of the terms. But no, it was all in order. He was getting everything he asked for. As soon as Robert added his own signature, he’d be signed on for 2 years at a salary that more than one family could live on. Paperclipped to the contract was a check made out to the tune of £10,000 - the bonus he’d demanded. He read the note Lawrence had written in the check memo: “I hope you choke on it.”

Robert picked up a pen and signed both the check and the contract with a flourish. He was getting everything he had ever wanted. Money. A pretty fiancee. A big house. Everything was coming together for him. He should have been kicking back with his feet on the desk, smoking a celebratory cigar or drinking a glass of champagne. Instead, he felt unsettled, as if he was waiting for something more. It had always been this way for him, ever since he was a boy. Nothing was ever enough. His ambition always left him craving more.

This time it would be different. After he was sure things were actually settled with Aaron, he’d truly have everything then. Not just the big house, and the pretty fiancee, and enough money to buy flash cars and a fancy wardrobe; he’d have Aaron on top of all that. Yes, this time it would be enough for him.


	10. Chapter 10

15 December 2014

“Isn’t it a bit strange, though?” Chrissie asked after taking a sip of her tea. “After all, you are his brother. It would have made more sense for Andy to have asked you to be his best man. Frankly, I think it’s a bit ridiculous for Victoria to do it.”

They had managed to snag a table at Bob’s cafe, which was busy for the lunch hour. They had just eaten and were finishing up their brews. Things were going really well with Chrissie, maybe even better than before they had split up. He’d been pretty pleased with himself up until five minutes ago. That’s when he finally noticed Aaron sitting across the cafe with Dan. The two seemed to be having fun together. Aaron was somewhat surly looking, as per usual, but Robert knew him well enough now to detect his amusement. It was in the way he hid small smiles by rubbing at his scruff with his hand, or ducking his head to look down at the floor.

Robert forced his attention back to Chrissie. She was looking particularly good today, dressed casually in jeans and a satin green shirt under a brown leather jacket. “I don’t mind. Vic is chuffed about it, and my relationship with Andy is always rocky.”

“I thought you said the two of you were getting on?” Chrissie asked, concerned.

“We’re fine. We had a tense moment when your dad changed the terms of the sale for Wylie’s Farm, but he seems to have got over that now.”

“What’s the problem then?”

“We can’t just erase years of bad blood, can we?” Robert pointed out, remembering saying something similar to Vic and Finn.

“I suppose you’re right,” Chrissie agreed, letting the matter drop. That was something he had always appreciated about her. Someone like Vic would have poked and prodded, asked hundreds of questions, and then devised meddlesome plans to get him to make up with his family. Chrissie was someone who could let him judge for himself when, how, or if he was going to make an effort to rebuild a relationship.

They fell into a companionable silence for a minute, which was finally broken by her saying, “I think I’d be jealous if he was a woman!”

“What?” Robert asked, confused.

“Aaron,” she said with a laugh. He felt like she’d just kicked him in the head.

“I don’t follow,” he said, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what she knew.

“You’ve been staring at him pretty intensely for the past few minutes. So tell me - what’s he done?”

“Nothing,” Robert said, feeling sweat slick his hands.

“It can’t be nothing!”

“We may have had a bit of a row. I’m not sure,” he told her nervously.

“How can you not be sure?” she asked with some surprise.

“I thought we had cleared the air after a… misunderstanding. But he’s not said a single word to me for the better part of a week.” It felt insanely like he was about to get relationship advice from his fiancee on how to make up with his gay lover.

“You’ve really gotten close to him, haven’t you? I’m glad. We all had to uproot our lives when we moved here. I’m so happy to see you haven’t scared everyone off with your terrible temper,” she teased him. Robert froze, not sure if he should be laughing hysterically or getting defensive at this point. “So what exactly was this misunderstanding about?”

“We were supposed to meet up, and I forgot. It was nothing really. He seemed fine about it. I’m reading too much into it, I’m sure! It’s not like he ever talks much anyway, he’s probably not ignoring me at all,” Robert said in a rush, thinking he sounded guilty.

“Maybe his feelings were hurt? Really, Robert, you can be so thoughtless sometimes,” Chrissie scolded him gently. “And he was so nice to me when he fixed my brakes for free. He’s actually quite kind, just a bit rough around the edges. I can see why you’re friends with him. Why don’t you just apologize?”

“I did!” he protested, indignantly.

“Well, maybe you should do it again,” she suggested. Chrissie gave a negligent shrug and added, “Or don’t; there’re plenty of other people to be friends with. Anyway, I’m due for a meeting at one of my salons. We’ll have dinner later.” Chrissie got to her feet and kissed him affectionately before heading out. Robert just sat there for a minute, so relieved that he actually felt his hands shaking. Once his nerves settled, he thought about what she had said. As bizarre as it was to take advice from his fiancee about Aaron, maybe she was right. Maybe he should apologize again.

Now wasn’t the time for it, though. He’d told Vic he’d stop at the pub before going back to Home Farm and putting in a few more hours. She wanted to bounce some ideas off him for the speech she was giving as Andy’s best man. When he got there, he found Vic, Diane, and Andy standing at the bar. Vic was in the middle of pouring a pint for Andy.

“Pour another, would you, Vic? Thanks,” Robert said as he came to stand next to Andy.

“Can we take a rain check on the speech? I thought I’d have it ready to read to you by the time you got here,” Vic said. “I know what I want to say, but it’s just not coming out right!”

“I’m sure it’s fine!” he reassured her.

Diane shook her head, eyes wide as she looked at Vic. “No offense, love, but it needs plenty of work yet.”

He heard quiet footsteps behind him, and then Doug was stepping up to the bar. “And one became two!” he declared, holding a sheet of paper up. Robert looked on curiously as Doug stood next to Andy and held the paper out so they could both see it. “Well, not quite, but the man at Hargrave’s said it would be melted down and redone in plenty of time. There you go!”

“What’s this?” Robert asked as Andy accepted the paper from Doug.

“The rings,” Andy explained.

He very badly wanted to make a joke at Andy’s expense about not being able to buy new rings, but he stopped himself. It went against his nature, but he had to stop mouthing off if he wanted to stay on good terms with his family. It was like none of them had ever heard of banter!

“I was going to tell you,” Diane piped up. “It was Jack’s. The rings they’re having made. They’re from your dad’s.” All he could do was stare at her, sure he had misunderstood. The heavy silence that fell over everyone was what made it sink in. They had all known about the ring. The anxious looks they were trading made it clear that they had guessed he wouldn’t be happy with the plan. They just hadn’t cared.

“So you’ve let him destroy my dad’s ring?” he demanded, pointing his finger at Andy in accusation.

“I assumed you’d told him!” Andy exclaimed, looking at Diane and pretending to be innocent. Robert wasn’t buying it for one second.

“I didn’t have the chance,” Diane said. Robert was living in her home, for pity’s sake! There were plenty of chances to tell him about this! She just hadn’t wanted to. “It’s not being destroyed, it’s being made into something meaningful.”

“Mean- so it meant nothing to you as it was?!” he yelled, furious.

“That’s not what I said.”

“No, that’s exactly what you said! You don’t even know it, so you’re at least two kinds of stupid!”

The last thing he needed then was for Katie to show her face and butt in, but that’s exactly what he got. She had come in and went to stand next to Doug. “Charming the pants off everyone as usual,” she commented.

“Oh shut up you brainless doll, your pants are hardly ever on anyway,” he snarled.

“Oi!” Andy shouted.

“Hey! Now that’s enough!” Doug said, standing there between Andy and Katie like he was their father or an uncle, when really he was nobody to any of them, and had even less right to be part of this discussion than did Katie.

“I’m sorry, who are you again?”

“I’m sorry you found out like this, Robert, I really am!” Diane interjected before he could really start in on Doug.

“Oh, what was the plan? To have someone jump out of a cake and tell me?”

“Don’t you think it’s what your dad would have wanted?” she asked him.

“No, he would have wanted it to stay in the family! The real family!” he said, and looked at Vic then. Her betrayal hurt the worst. She was his sister, the only other one in this room that shared Jack’s blood, and she had hidden this from him.

She closed her eyes, as if searching for patience inside of herself. “Don’t be boring,” she told him. Robert stared at her, shaking his head, hurt beyond words.

“Look,” Andy said, “if it’s caused that much of a problem, I can just-”

“You can just leave things as they are! Can’t he!” Diane interrupted, giving Robert a pointed look.

“You’ve done this to spite me,” he said.

“You aren’t your father’s only child, you know.”

“He wasn’t his child at all!” Robert shouted.

“And Victoria thinks it’s a lovely idea,” Diane pointed out. “I’m sorry you don’t, Robert, but it was my decision to make, and the subject’s closed.”

“The subject’s not closed, not by a long way,” Robert said, meeting Andy’s eyes in clear threat. He retreated to the backroom, heading for the stairs so he could go up to his bedroom to be alone. Aaron came in through the side entrance just as Robert got to the stairs. 

“Sorry,” Aaron said after nearly hitting Robert with the door. “I was just going up to get… Robert?” He ignored the younger man’s concern, shoving past him and climbing the stairs. He got to the guestroom and shut the door behind him. Aaron barged in after him, not bothering to knock.

“Get out,” Robert told him.

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” Aaron fired up, not backing down. He actually took a few steps closer, ignoring Robert’s anger.

“What do you care?” Robert said, glaring at him. “Why don’t you just go downstairs and hang out with Andy or Vic. Or Diane! You seem to get along with everyone well enough. It’s just me you can’t stand.”

“Oh, right, that’s why I slept with you! I only have sex with men I can’t stand.”

“Then you go around ignoring all your friends? I’m amazed you have any, with that kind of attitude.”

Aaron looked away, rubbing at his beard as he clearly struggled with his temper. When he looked back at Robert, his eyes bore into his. “So are you going to tell me what’s up?”

He almost didn’t, but he was upset and didn’t know what to do about it. “Diane gave Andy my dad’s wedding ring. He’s having it melted down so he can make two for him and Katie.”

Aaron shook his head. “That’s… Nice. If you’re into that sort of thing.”

“Yeah, well I’m not into getting kicked in the teeth, as it happens.”

“How’s it a kick in the teeth?” Aaron asked, looking entirely too calm standing there.

“Of course it’s a kick in the teeth! I’m his real son! Andy’s just adopted.”

“I’m pretty sure it counts for exactly the same thing. And anyway, what about Victoria?”

“Well I’m older than her!” Robert said, his anger starting to bubble over like boiling water. Aaron just wasn’t getting it.

“Andy’s older than you,” he pointed out.

“I’m sorry, who’s side are you on here?” Robert asked, outraged.

“I just don’t see why there has to be sides. You don’t think you’re just being a bit soft?”

“Yeah, well I don’t expect you to understand it, your family being what it is,” he lashed out

Aaron was unhurt, just giving Robert a little smirk. “Oh, yeah, sleeping with our brother’s wives, and all that,” he said, referencing Robert’s history with Katie and Andy. “Don’t be pathetic!”

“Pathetic?” Robert demanded. Aaron was no better than the rest of them. He said he was Robert’s friend, but he seemed to be siding with Diane and all them. Everyone had turned against him, and Robert was filled with a desire to make Aaron hurt as much as he was hurting. “Yeah, no, I’m pathetic. You know, I think I might just go cut myself,” he said scathingly. Aaron looked stricken. It filled Robert with a cruel sense of satisfaction. “Or how’d you get them scars- an unfortunate yachting accident?”

Aaron was on him, shoving Robert backwards and down onto the bed. He had a hand to Robert’s throat, pinning him to the mattress. “Listen! Unless you want a slap, I suggest you keep your mouth shut!”

“Touchy about them, aren’t ya?” Robert taunted him, grasping Aaron’s wrist with both hands so he didn’t press down too far.

“You don’t know the first thing about them!” Aaron warned him, his breath hot against Robert’s face.

“No, that’s the kind of stuff you only tell mates!”

Aaron let go of his throat, allowing Robert to draw an easy breath. His fingers shifted to grip Robert’s chin, hard, holding him in place as he forced eye contact. “You want to be mates, you have to earn it,” Aaron told him, voice low and raspy. “This, whatever you think you’re doing here? That won’t cut it. Prove to me I can trust you.”

Robert didn’t try to free himself. He ran his hand down Aaron’s side until he reached his hip, fingers following the line of Aaron’s jeans until he’d reached the front. He eased his hand up under Aaron’s shirt, touching the scars there. Robert gasped as Aaron tightened the grip on his chin painfully, warning him. He didn’t need the warning. Letting his left hand continue playing with Aaron’s scars, he used his right to undo the button of Aaron’s fly and unzip his jeans. He could hear the other man’s breathing speed up as his hand found him through his boxers, stroking him until Aaron’s cock was hard.

The grip on his chin finally loosened, and Robert moaned at the loss of that painful touch. Aaron’s lips crashed against his, and he shifted his hands to the other man’s hips, holding him close and grinding against him. They pressed together in a rough embrace, writhing against each other.

“Robert?” He barely registered the voice calling his name or the soft knock on his door as Diane tried to get his attention.

He pulled back from Aaron’s kiss, drawing in air as the other man nipped at his neck, sucking on his Adam’s apple. “Not now, Diane!”

“Please, I just want to talk to you.” He nearly swore when Aaron pulled back, getting up off the bed and carefully zipping his jeans up over his hard length.

“We’re having a word. Give us a minute,” Aaron called out.

There was silence on the other side of the door as Diane no doubt took a moment to overcome her surprise at discovering Aaron in Robert’s room. “I’ll leave you to it,” she finally said. “We’ll talk later, love.”

“Shit,” Robert sighed, rubbing his face in frustration. “You think she knows what we were doing in here?”

“Nah, she thinks I have better taste than that,” Aaron told him.

Robert huffed out a laugh. “Any chance you’d consider getting back on this bed for a quickie?”

“Can’t, I’m do back at the garage. We’ve got an engine rebuild scheduled for this afternoon.”

“I hate you,” Robert told him, finally sitting up on the bed and shifting uncomfortably at how tight his jeans suddenly felt. “Meet for drinks later? After dinner,” he added, remembering belatedly that Chrissie had wanted to have dinner with him. She’d probably want him to stick around after he finished working, so they could have a family meal and pretend that her dad wasn’t a control freak and her son wasn’t a psycho in the making.

“Alright, I’ll see you later,” Aaron said, letting himself out. Robert sat for a moment longer, wondering if they were going on a date or just meeting as mates. If not for what had almost just happened between them, it would have been clear that they were meeting as friends. Now? Robert wasn’t sure, but he was hoping that the night ended with him in Aaron’s bed. It really was more comfortable than his.

*****

Robert was right about dinner at Home Farm. He’d sat at the table next to Chrissie, trying to make conversation with her sulky relatives. Lawrence kept making backhanded insults that he could easily claim had been unintentional. Robert struggled not to retaliate, remembering that had been his undoing in the first place. Lachlan tried to ignore everyone, which only lead to Chrissie putting in extra effort to involve him.

The evening predictably deteriorated. It ended with Lachlan leaving the table, and Lawrence excusing himself to have a word with the boy. Robert was left with a distraught fiancee. He comforted her, and just when he thought it might lead somewhere interesting, she claimed fatigue and kissed him goodnight. He left Home Farm feeling frustrated, unsatisfied, and restless.

When he got to the Woolpack, he didn’t immediately see Aaron at the pub. He ordered himself a pint and grabbed a table, settling in to wait. It was just his luck that after a very trying day, Katie breezed in and decided to make it worse. Taking the seat that should have been Aaron’s, Katie made herself comfortable.

“Excuse me, do you mind? I’m waiting for someone.”

She placed her elbows on the table, and leaned in so she could lower her voice, minimizing the chances of being overheard. “I thought you were pathetic earlier,” she told him, referring to the scene he’d made over the ring.

“Don’t you have anywhere else to be? Don’t tell me Andy’s ready to see the back of you!” he exclaimed in mock horror.

“If only we could be so lucky with you, eh?”

Katie actually struck a nerve with that shot. It immediately reminded him of the fact that his own dad had wanted him gone, and had sent him away from the village. Robert struck back, trying to annoy her. “You’ve been lucky with me once in your life. That’s your lot.”

“That’s funny. I don’t see it like that. See, I am lucky now, because I have a second chance with a man that I love, who is fantastic, and I will not have constantly hassled by you!”

“Fantastic? Right!” Robert said with a laugh. He laughed to hide his bitterness. He hated Katie, and felt like he’d dodged a bullet by not marrying her, but the fact that she was yet one more person who preferred Andy to him was hard to take. Even his own father had preferred Andy. What did he have that Robert didn’t?

“Yes, he is!” Katie said, jumping to Andy’s defense. “And I’m not the only person to see it, which is why he’s ended up with that ring, Robert. So if you can’t get over your jealousy, at least have the decency to stay away. Stop meddling!”

Katie stood up and walked away, but her words stuck with him. Somehow she knew exactly how to get to him. Furious, Robert got up and went through to the back, trying to think of some way to get back at her, at Andy, at Diane, and even at Vic. Her betrayal over the ring had hurt most of all.

The ring! Since its meaning as a family heirloom meant so little to them, he’d show them how worthless it was as a token of love and faithfulness. Taking his phone out, Robert found the number for Hargrave jewelers and placed a call to them. “Hello, this is Andy Sugden. Someone brought in a ring for me earlier today.”

“Yes, we have an order here to have the ring melted down and made into a matching pair,” the man on the line said.

“Yeah that’s right. Have you done them yet?”

“Not yet, sir”

“No? Good, er, can you do inscriptions inside?”

“Yes, of course. We get requests for that all the time. It’ll be easy enough to add it to your order.”

“That’s great news,” he said, smiling. “I’ll pay extra, of course.”

“Do you know what you want them to say?”

“Yes,” Robert said. “On the woman’s I want you to add _village bike_ and on the man’s _village idiot_. I know it sounds strange, but it’s an inside joke, you see.”

“Right. Are you sure?” the man asked, sounding concerned.

“Positive.”

“I’m adding it to the order now. If you want any other changes, you should call in before the end of the week.”

“Thanks,” he said, and then hung up.

“You think that’s going to make anything better?”

Robert whirled around, startled. He’d thought he was by himself in the parlor. Aaron must have come in through the pub. He had his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised, waiting for Robert to say something. There was probably no point trying to pretend he didn’t know what Aaron was talking about. “I don’t know,” he finally said, “but I’m feeling pretty good about it right now.”

Aaron nodded, looking down as he scuffed the floor with his shoe. “How about when they all find out what you did? It’s going to happen eventually. It’s one thing in the heat of the moment, but it doesn’t always feel so good when you’re dealing with the consequences.”

“Why should I care what they think? They’ve brought it on themselves!”

Aaron looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to say something else. “That’s it? That’s your excuse? I can tell you, you’re not going to win anyone over with that.”

“You don’t understand!”

“What’s to understand? That you’re hurt? I’m reading it loud and clear. Only problem is that no one’s going to care about your feelings when you’ve ruined Andy and Katie’s wedding with that little stunt of yours. Take it from someone who’s had their share of mess ups. However good it feels right now, it’s not going to last. They’re all going to find out, and none of them are going to want to have anything to do with you.”

Aaron headed for the door, and Robert went after him. “Where are you going?”

“Out.” The door slammed, and he was left standing at the foot of the stairs. He didn’t think Aaron would be coming back for drinks. Robert was also reasonably certain that he’d be spending the night in his own bed. He wondered if they were still mates, or if this was Aaron’s way of telling him he wanted nothing more to do with Robert.

*****

16 December 2014

“He was my dad as well, but do I go kicking off about Andy getting his wedding ring? No,” Vic said. Robert turned back to face her, holding a pint in his right hand. She was standing behind the bar, arms crossed and resting on the countertop as she raised her eyebrows at him. Another peal of laughter erupted behind his back, and Robert felt his shoulders tensing. When he’d gotten to the Woolpack after work, he’d found Aaron and some nameless man horsing around, having the time of their lives. He’d never seen the young mechanic this happy, not even when he’d come in here and found Aaron and Dan wearing Cain masks.

“Yeah, well you’ve got mum’s wedding ring remember, so…”

“Come on, Robert! I’m a million years off even finding a bloke, and you’ve got everything you’ve ever wanted,” Vic said.

Except it didn’t feel that way. Frowning, he put his glass down on the bar. “Yeah, and Andy’s got Katie,” he pointed out.

“Exactly! So can’t you at least try and be happy for him?”

Robert leaned his arms against the bar, tired of hearing how wrong he was all the time. “Well, I saw him earlier, and I said he could keep the ring if it meant that much to him, but did he thank me or did he tell me to stay as far away from the wedding as possible?”

“I’ll talk to him,” Vic reassured him, tone finally softening toward him.

“No, don’t bother. He’s probably right. It’s best if I just stay away.” The loud cackling from behind him had Robert turning around before he could stop himself. Aaron and the other man had gone red in the face from their laughter, and Robert found he couldn’t stand not knowing any longer. “Who is that anyway?” he asked Vic, leaning his back against the bar. “New boyfriend?” he asked her, wondering if there was some way he could throw a dart at the man’s head and claim it was an accident.

“Only the love of his life.” He had the sudden urge to march over there, toss Aaron over his shoulder, and carry him upstairs. “No, it’s Adam. Moira’s son.”

“Heyyy!” he heard Adam cheer loudly as Aaron threw a dart. Before he could ask any more questions, Vic left so she could serve someone else drinks. Robert was left to watch the two men for a few seconds, wondering who Moira’s son was, and what his history with Aaron was. Thankfully, Chrissie walked in, interrupting his thoughts.

“Where’s the bottle of red, the cozy table in the corner…?” she asked once she reached him.

“It got busy.” Robert drew her in close, hoping Aaron was watching as he tried to sweet talk her into going upstairs with him, or to Home Farm. He struck out on both fronts. Aaron didn’t look over even once, and Chrissie didn’t want to go anywhere without having some wine first. His only consolation was that eventually Aaron and Adam had their fill of darts and went to go sit down with Moira. It couldn’t be a date if they were sitting with Adam’s mum, that’d be weird.

Their tables were far enough away from each other that Robert was able to enjoy dinner with Chrissie without distractions. This was how it was supposed to be between them. Chrissie was animated as she told him about her day, her eyes bright every time she smiled at him. Yesterday’s dinner had been a disaster, but tonight, without her dad and son to ruin things, everything seemed to click into place. He wasn’t the only one to feel it. Once they had finished up the second bottle of wine, Chrissie leaned in over the table and grabbed Robert’s hands in hers. “So,” she said, giving him a flirtatious look from under her lashes, “I’ve been thinking…”

“Yeah?” he said, smirking when he saw her blush. It was a tell he had learned to recognize early on in their relationship. Chrissie rarely blushed, except when she was thinking of taking him to bed with her.

Robert expected her to whisper something sexy to him, but instead she said, “I’ve been thinking you should move back in. I’ve missed you at night, even with the way you kick when you sleep.”

“Chrissie, that’s… wonderful!” he exclaimed, grinning madly and trying to quell the panic building inside.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to move in with her, or marry her! He just couldn’t help but suddenly think of how their relationship had changed the last time he’d moved in. It was a big step for any couple to take, and most times it changed things. He’d liked the way living together had positively affected their love life, but he hadn’t liked how Chrissie had slowly started to treat him differently. Right before she’d kicked him out, he had often been annoyed with how she treated him like a second child: ordering him around, choosing his activities, demanding to know where he was every time he left the house, picking out his clothes. Some of the patterned shirts she’d bought him were- well, he’d worn them to make her happy and because they were extremely well made and expensive.

If Robert ignored the stretches of celibacy and the humiliation of having the entire village be aware that she’d chucked him, he had actually appreciated his freedom over the past month. He got to do what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted. He could occasionally seduce the blue-eyed grumpy boy that slept in the room next to his. Living at the pub really wasn’t half bad. How could he be blamed for wanting to keep that for just a bit longer?

Knowing that if he didn’t speak up now, his chance to do so would be gone, Robert said, “That sounds amazing. You don’t know how much I’ve wanted this. Only…”

“What is it?” Chrissie asked, her smile disappearing.

“Well, I’ve had a lot of time to think about why things went wrong. I mean, it was pretty obvious with your dad, but Lachlan turned on me too. I wonder if maybe we moved too fast the first time around. He didn’t have time to get adjusted.”

“That’s so sweet,” she said, reaching up to stroke his hair with one of her hands. “But it’s going to be different this time. Lucky knows we love each other.”

“You saw him last night,” Robert said. “He could barely stand having me over for dinner. I’d just like to have a chance to win him over before I move back in and steal his mum away from him,” he said with a wink. Chrissie had always liked flattery, and the implication that her son was so attached to her made her smile. “If he doesn’t come around in a few weeks time, I’ll move in anyway. I want us to do things properly this time.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Chrissie said. She leaned over the table to kiss him, and Robert met her halfway.

Their moment was interrupted when that Ross bloke came in and started to kick off. He seemed to be having a go at Adam. Robert was so grateful he could have kissed him! He was sure that if Chrissie actually thought about it longer, she’d change her mind and insist he move back to Home Farm. At the moment, that was the last thing he wanted to do.

*****

17 December 2014

“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” Robert said, coming up behind Aaron and whispering in his ear. They were in line at the cafe. Aaron had gotten there first, and was leaning his hands on the counter as he waited for Bob to return with his order. He was wearing his blue coveralls, and when Robert came in close, he was teased with the intoxicatingly masculine scent of the other man. It was a combination of sweat, engine oil, and metal. It made Robert want to take him home and get in the shower with him.

Aaron glanced at him over his shoulder, blue eyes dark and his eyebrows lowered as he scowled. “What do you want, Robert?”

“I feel like we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. I want to make it up to you.”

“Made another call to the jeweler’s yet?” Robert’s silence spoke louder than words. Aaron rolled his eyes, turning to face forward again.

“Why does it even bother you?” Robert asked him.

“Vic and Andy are mates. You’re going to ruin his wedding, and you’re going to upset her. Why wouldn’t it bother me?”

“What about me? Aren’t I your friend too? Don’t my feelings matter?”

“That’s why I haven’t said anything yet, you idiot,” Aaron said, finally turning to face him completely. “If you were anyone else, I’d have told Andy straight off after I heard you make the call. You’re always on about how I don’t act like a proper mate. Well, this is what mates do. They tell each other when they’re being idiots, and they give you advice you should listen to. Don’t be more of a twat than you already are. Call the jewelers and fix it already!”

“Here we are!” Bob called out. Aaron turned back toward the counter and grabbed the two coffees.

“Aaron, wait,” Robert said as the younger man started toward the door.

“I’ve got work.” The young mechanic walked out without a backward glance.

“He didn’t sound very pleased with you,” Bob commented.

“An Americano, Bob,” he said pointedly. The older man nodded and went to get his order taken care of. As he waited, Robert took out his phone and went back through his recent calls until he found the number for Hargrave Jewelers. Hitting send, Robert held the phone up to his ear. “Yes, this is Andy Sugden. I want to change the details on my order. Yes, I’ll hold.”


	11. Chapter 11

18-19 December 2014

Robert felt almost like a private detective in a movie. Tracking Aaron down was turning into something of a skill. For all that they were living under the same roof, and their bedrooms were right next to each other, Aaron was very good at avoiding him when he wanted to. Robert had waited for him to come home on Wednesday to tell him he’d called Hargrave’s, but had nodded off after midnight when the younger man still hadn’t gotten home. When he woke Thursday morning, Aaron had already left for work. The only sign that he had come home at all was a used cereal bowl in the sink, which he spotted Chas washing for her son.

Frustratingly, Robert had never gotten around to asking Aaron for his number. He had to ask Diane for it instead. “Are you two friends now?” she had asked him.

Knowing she was probably thinking of how Aaron had been in his room the day he had flipped out about his father’s ring, Robert just nodded. “Kind of,” he said.

“Well, that’s better than when you first moved in,” Diane told him. “I thought for certain the two of you would be arguing all the time."

“We do,” he muttered as he saved Aaron’s number in his phone. Diane had given him an understanding look, as if she was aware of how difficult the young mechanic could be. But then, she’d known him a lot longer than Robert had, so she probably knew exactly what he was talking about.

Robert called Aaron. He texted him. He went to the garage and checked to see if the mechanic was on his own. Later he took a seat at the pub, in one of the corners, and sipped at some bourbon while he watched Aaron having drinks with Adam. He stopped short of tailing the two men when they left the Woolpack. Robert grabbed his phone from his pocket and texted him. _Are you ignoring me? Really mature of you._ He hit send and was in the middle of writing a long and angry tirade when he made himself stop and think for a moment. Clearly chasing Aaron was getting him nowhere. Maybe he just had to wait until the other man came to him.

He did not wait up for Aaron on Thursday night. It was Robert’s turn to wake early the next morning so he was out before the other man. He put his phone on silent just in case Aaron tried to call him, but he did check it when he took his lunch at the cafe. His satisfaction at seeing two missed calls from Aaron was tempered by his embarrassment when he checked his texts and read, _I wasn’t ignoring you. Didn’t have my phone on me yesterday. Call me._

Feeling like an idiot, Robert called Aaron straight away. He shivered when the other man answered the phone, his voice gruff as he said, “Robert.”

“Er, sorry, my phone was on silent.”

“I was beginning to think you were ignoring me on purpose, because you thought I wasn’t taking your calls yesterday,” Aaron said. There was something in his tone that alerted Robert to the fact that Aaron was poking fun at him. The other man had definitely sussed him out.

“Where’s the sense in that?” he asked innocently.

“I asked myself the same thing,” Aaron said. “You wanted to talk?”

“I can’t have just wanted to hear your voice?”

“Maybe. If you’ve gone daft since the last time I’ve seen you.”

“I wanted to tell you I called the jewelers. Andy and Katie will be getting their rings, without any extras added by me.”

There was a pause on the line. “I wasn’t sure you’d do it. I thought I’d be the last person you’d listen to.”

“Yeah?” Robert asked softly. “I listen to you.”

“Really?” His voice came out low, and it made Robert want to climb through the phone to get to him.

“Yeah, you make a lot of sense. So, er, what about those drinks we missed out on?”

“I told Adam we’d go into town tonight,” Aaron said, to Robert’s disappointment. “You can come with, if you like.”

Robert almost turned him down, uninterested in spending time with Adam, but then he thought about the first time Aaron had asked him into town for drinks. Robert had said no, and then he’d sat around thinking that Aaron was with another man. “I’m up for it if you are,” he said.

“Meet you at the pub after work?”

“I’ll be there.” Robert ended the call, finished the last sip of his Americano, and stood up to leave the cafe.

“Fighting with Chrissie again?” Katie asked from behind him.

Robert turned to face her. It was clear from the smug look on her face that she had listened in on his half of the conversation. She can’t have been standing behind him the whole time, or she would have heard about the rings, and she’d definitely be furious. He was also reasonably sure he hadn’t said anything that would clue her in on the fact that it hadn’t been Chrissie on the other end of that call. And even if she had heard something, Robert wasn’t strictly cheating on Chrissie, was he? Yes, he’d slept with Aaron more than once, but not since getting back with Chrissie. He wasn’t ruling it out, but until it happened, he was technically still faithful to his fiancee. Katie had nothing on him.

“Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong again?” he countered, not bothering to answer her question.

“I just get excited every time I think she’s coming to her senses.”

“Remind me again how my relationship with Chrissie has anything to do with you.”

Katie shrugged. “As someone who knows what a lying cheat you are, I think it’s every bit my responsibility to try and warn the next girl.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot you were completely innocent and had room to talk! It was all my fault when you decided to cheat on Andy to be with me!” The sarcasm in his tone was thick enough to walk on.

“I made a mistake, but I learned from it!”

“Oh please, you’ve been juggling men around since I left. I’ve heard the rumors. You need to give up your vendetta against me and just move on.”

“I have moved on! I’m with Andy now.”

“Give it a rest,” Robert said, frustrated. “Believe me, I know you’re with Andy. You’ll be wearing my dad’s ring soon enough, so how could I forget? I don’t need you constantly reminding me how in love you are! I just need you to leave me alone.”

Robert walked out before she could provoke him further.

*****

It took him five seconds to decide that he hated Bar West. That was the amount of time it took him to first notice the lack of women inside, and then the sheer number of men leaning in close to each other, dancing together, and kissing one another. It took another five minutes for Aaron and Adam to realize he was uncomfortable. However, they didn’t offer to go somewhere else. They settled in for several rounds and Robert joined in, hoping the drinks would help ease his discomfort.

All three of them were feeling the effects when Robert found himself asking Adam, “So what’s with the choice in venue. Are you gay too?”

Adam almost spit his beer out. Aaron laughed, thumping his friend on the back as he choked. “Nah,” Adam gasped. “Aaron only wishes I was!”

Robert glared at them both as Aaron leaned in and wrapped his arm around Adam’s shoulders to give him a friendly shake. It was hardly a romantic gesture, but Robert found himself resenting their closeness. He felt like a third wheel, like they’d be having more fun without him present. “You keep telling yourself that,” Aaron said. “I’m up for another round. Anyone else?” Seeing their nods, he stumbled off toward the bar, a bit unsteady on his feet. It left Robert alone with Adam.

“So if you’re not gay, how come you’re so comfortable hanging out in a place like this?” he asked as couple walked by their table holding hands.

Adam laughed. It was something he did often and loudly. “Why would it bother me? Aaron’s my best mate! I’ve known he was gay for years and it’s never been a problem.”

“Being friends with someone who’s gay is one thing. Going to a place like this is another,” Robert told him.

“I’m not afraid of men trying it on with me,” he said. As if to prove it, Adam caught the eye of some bloke standing at the bar near Aaron and winked at him. Robert squirmed uncomfortably in his chair as he saw the bloke glance at him and then back at Adam.

“He thinks we’re together!” Robert hissed.

Adam stopped making eyes at the man and laughed as he reached over to slap Robert’s shoulder companionably. “Eyy! You could do worse than me!”

“I leave for one minute and the two of you are a couple now?” Aaron joked as he came up to the table, carrying three bottles of beer. “Oi!” he shouted, jumping as Adam pinched his behind.

“You’re the only man for me, Aaron,” Adam kidded as Aaron slapped the bottles down onto the table with a clunk. Robert clenched his hands into fists, watching Adam innocently snag a bottle and hold it with two hands like he was worried it would break. “Watch it, mate, you’ll spill!”

“Do that again, and I’ll deck you,” Aaron warned him, but he didn’t actually sound irritated. Robert accepted the bottle Aaron pushed toward him. He caught the younger man’s eye, giving him a meaningful look. Robert hated it here, he had possibly never been this uncomfortable in his life, but he disliked Adam’s flirting more. He wanted to call it a night and leave Bar West, but he worried about what might happen if he did. Adam might get drunk enough to get curious, or maybe one of the nameless blokes milling around would try their luck.

Seeing Robert eyeing him, Aaron smirked. The alcohol he’d consumed had clearly loosened him up, because Robert didn’t think Aaron was normally the type to sneak his hand under the table and run it slowly up his thigh. Usually Robert was up for it under any number of circumstances, but this place had him on edge. He almost pushed Aaron’s hand away, but he didn’t because when he took a quick glance at all the men surrounding them to see if anyone was looking, all he could see were potential rivals. He knew any number of them would like to take his place as Aaron ran his hand slowly back and forth along Robert’s thigh, fingers slipping dangerously close to his cock before sliding away.

It felt almost surreal to sit under the colored lights of the bar, with Lady Gaga playing unoriginally in the background as Aaron finally crossed that barrier and lightly stroked his hand over Robert’s cock. He wanted to grab hold of Aaron and drag him off somewhere they could be alone and do this properly. Instead, this is what they had, where they were. Under the eyes of dozens of gay men, Robert gritted his teeth and fought to keep his breath steady as Aaron rubbed him gently through his jeans. With Adam sitting obliviously right there across from them, Aaron raised his bottle to his lips with one hand, and massaged Robert’s cock with the other. Robert watched Aaron tip his head back, and saw his throat working as he took a drink. His breath hitched when the younger man licked his lips, chasing lingering drops of ale as his stroke became firm on Robert. His heartbeat picked up speed, and so did Aaron’s hand.

Eyes fluttering, Robert had to look away from the other man as he fought the urge to pull him close and kiss him. His head was buzzing with alcohol. He felt confused and wretchedly wonderful all at once. Robert turned his head to the right, and he was so consumed by the feel of that hand expertly working him that it took him a handful of seconds to realize he was being watched. Some bloke stood not three yards away, smirking as he saw Robert beginning to unravel. Embarrassment flooded him, making him almost sick as his drunken glow shifted quickly into something darker.

Robert turned back toward Aaron, grabbing his wrist tightly to stop him. “Not here,” he muttered.

“Yeah,” Adam agreed, voice sloppy from drinking heavily. Both Robert and Aaron looked at him in confusion. Seeing their uncomprehending stares, Adam said, “Robert’s right! We can’t stay here if I’m going to make my curfew!” He was relieved to realize Adam was drunk and had misunderstood his words. It would have been beyond embarrassing if the lad had been aware of what Aaron had been doing to him under the table.

“Right, mate, sorry I forgot,” Aaron said, finally moving his hand from Robert’s lap. The three of them got up and made their way to the exit. Aaron took pity on Robert and walked right in front of him, helping to hide his state from casual observers. They shuffled out of the bar and spilled out onto the sidewalk, where they spent twenty minutes trying to flag down a taxi. None of them seemed to want to pull over, but maybe that was because Adam could no longer stand on his own. Aaron was holding him up as the other man cried out obscenities at every taxi that passed them by. Robert finally had to make his unsteady way further down the block so that it looked like he was on his own. He only stood there for a minute or two before he managed to flag a taxi and get in, directing the man to pull up ahead so that Adam and Aaron could get in.

They paid extra for the driver to get them back to Emmerdale as quickly as possible, but they still just barely managed to get to Barton cottage by Adam’s curfew. Robert wanted to drop him off and go back to the Woolpack, but Adam wouldn’t hear it. Robert had gotten out of the car to help the younger man get to his feet. When he leaned into the car, Adam wrapped his arms around Robert’s neck in a fierce hug and clung to him heavily.

“You’re my mate too, same as Aaron!” Adam declared. “Stay and we’ll have a few more drinks, eh?”

Robert and Aaron united their efforts in getting the lad out of the taxi. Aaron pushed from where he was sitting next to Adam, and Robert pulled from his position standing by the door. The young man’s grip on him was tight enough that it actually helped Robert pull him out, although he felt half strangled by the time Adam got his feet under him. “Just stay, Robert,” Aaron said as he got out and tried to prize Adam’s arms from around Robert’s neck.

“I don’t think I have a choice,” he grumbled as he stopped trying to tug the other man off of him and started digging in his pocket for his wallet instead. He passed it along to Aaron to pay the driver with. “I’ll cover the taxi. You two bought most of the rounds.”

“Thanks!” Adam said loudly into Robert’s ear. He grimaced, then glared at Aaron as he laughed at him.

“Just help me with him,” Robert said, irritated. The taxi drove off, taking away his chance at a quiet night’s rest. They managed to stumble inside, but getting Adam up the stairs and into his bedroom just wasn’t going to happen. Instead, they dumped him on the sofa. Aaron grabbed some spare blankets for him, clearly at home here.

“Come on,” Aaron whispered to him after tossing a couple of blankets messily over Adam. The younger man had already passed out, and was snoring happily.

Not wanting to sleep anywhere near all that noise, Robert followed him gratefully. Aaron lead him up the stairs and into an empty bedroom. With a sigh, he threw himself face down onto the bed, but he turned over when the door closed and he realized Aaron was still there. “What are you doing?” he asked stupidly as the younger man kicked off his shoes.

“Er, what do you think?”

“Won’t that be weird?” Robert asked as he took off his leather jacket and tossed it over the foot of the bed. Aaron did the same with his own jacket.

“For who? We’ve slept in the same bed before. And I always stay in here with Adam when I sleep over.”

“In the same bed?” Robert asked sharply.

“Don’t be an idiot. Scoot over, yeah?” Frowning, Robert took his own shoes off and moved over so Aaron could get in next to him. In the end, he decided it probably didn’t matter that they were sharing the same bed. Who was going to walk in on them? Adam, possibly, but Robert didn’t think he was the type to immediately jump to conclusions if he saw them in bed together, fully clothed. And it wasn’t like they were going to be doing anything besides sleeping. They had drunk too much for that.

Giving in to the inevitable, he settled down next to Aaron. The younger man fell asleep quickly, leaving Robert to drift off to the steady sound of his breathing.

*****

20 December 2014

Robert was curled around Aaron when Adam came in to grab some clothes. It was the door opening that woke him. His eyes blinked open, but his lids felt heavy and reluctant to stay open. Lifting his arm from where it rested around Aaron’s waist, he rubbed at his eyes with his hand. Adam was shuffling around the room blearily, grabbing a fresh shirt for himself. He wasn’t even looking at them, but Robert sat up anyway.

“May as well wake him up too,” Adam told him as he took off the shirt he’d slept in and put on the clean one he’d picked out. Robert gently shook Aaron’s shoulder, liking how relaxed he looked while he was asleep. He had his face snuggled into the pillow, and he was still curled up on his side. Robert was exhausted, and he wanted nothing more than to lay back down and press in against Aaron’s back.

Adam ruined the moment. He saw Robert gently trying to wake Aaron up and came over to offer his help. “Not like that! He’ll never wake up that way.” Bending down over the sleeping man, Adam grabbed the same shoulder Robert had been nudging. Shaking Aaron rudely, he shouted, “Oi! Wake up, you!”

“Bugger off!” Aaron shouted, slapping away Adam’s hand so he’d stop shaking him.

“Your mum’s looking for you. She rang Cain, and guess who got woken up by him? I did,” Adam complained. “My head’s killing me! I could have used more sleep, you know.”

“So you had to make sure I didn’t get any either?” Aaron grumbled, sitting up. 

“As much as I’m enjoying hearing the two of you go on like an old married couple, maybe Adam’s right and we should get back to the pub,” Robert said.

“Hang on, you have time for breakfast,” Adam said. “My mum’s cooking right now.” Robert and Aaron got out of bed and put on their shoes and jackets before following Adam downstairs to the kitchen. He had no doubt the three of them were a pitiful sight as they seated themselves at the table, looking pale and hungover. Moira, at least, looked amused to see them. She cooked breakfast with a minimal attempt at conversation.

Cain, on the other hand, did not seem to have any sympathy. He came in just as they had started eating, and he sat down at the head of the table, giving them a hard look. “You’re a sorry lot,” he said.

“Don’t bother, I’ll hear plenty of that from Mum later,” Aaron said.

“A text to let her know you were safe wouldn’t have hurt,” Cain told him. “She thought you’d be home early because you were out with Adam, and he has his curfew.”

“Using a bit more caution wouldn’t have hurt,” Moira added. “Adam, you barely made it home in time for your curfew! You’ve got to be more careful!”

“We would have been fine if not for the taxi!” Adam complained. “It was waiting around for one that made us late.” He fell silent for a moment, moving the scrambled eggs around his plate with his fork. Brightening up, he dropped his fork and reached out to slap Aaron’s shoulder to get his attention. “Remember when we were talking about going into business together? How about a local cab firm?”

“My mum and Debs already tried it,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “It doesn’t make enough money.”

“That’s because it didn’t have us two running it! Oh, and by the way, when we do go into business, don’t think you can go swanning off whenever you feel like it!” Adam warned, but his tone was amused.

Aaron scowled. “Didn’t realize we were getting married!” he quipped. ”And anyway, whatever we decide to do, we’re going to need an investor.”

Robert woke up a little more when he heard that. “Yeah, well, you might find a bank stupid enough to lend you some money if you get a proper business plan together. They won’t like your records, though. You’d have better chances with a private investor.”

“Yeah, and those are a dime a dozen,” Cain said sarcastically.

Ignoring the older man, Robert looked at Aaron, catching his gaze. “I could invest in you.”

“What, are you joking? You want to invest?” Adam asked excitedly.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Moira asked him, sounding concerned. “You’ve got no reason to expect this to succeed. For all you know, it’s money you’ll never see again.”

“Mum!” Adam protested, but Cain was nodding.

“She’s right,” Cain said. “So is Aaron; it was a flop when Chas did it. You’d be taking a risk investing in these two, so what’s in it for you?”

Most of everyone in the kitchen had something to say on the topic, it seemed. The one person Robert wanted to hear from most was silent. Aaron was sitting there looking at his plate, brows lowered. He wasn’t scowling at least, so clearly he was giving the idea some thought.

Robert thought quickly, then said, “Well, I help two local lads down on their luck; it makes me look good, which makes Home Farm look good.”

“And that’s your only reason?” Aaron asked, finally looking at him. Robert was somehow certain that if he said yes, Aaron would turn down the money.

“No,” he answered, hoping Aaron would understand that Robert was doing this for him. “I’d be putting my own money into it. Outwardly it would look like a Home Farm investment, but think of it as a business venture of my own.”

“Which makes it an even bigger risk to you personally,” Cain said. “I’ll ask again- what’s in it for you?”

“Aaron’s a friend, and I think he and Adam can make their business work. I just need that business plan put together to make sure it all checks out.”

“You’re willing to put a lot at stake for two untried lads”

“Maybe you should have more faith in your nephew,” Robert told the older man.

“I for one am not going to turn down an investor!” Adam spoke up. He nodded his head toward Aaron before saying, “We’ll put that business plan together this weekend and have it ready for you by Monday. How’s that sound?”

It sounded like Adam was going to be monopolizing all of Aaron’s time. Robert sighed, but he nodded. “That sounds great. Thanks for breakfast, Moira, but maybe Aaron and I should head out now.”

“I’ll drive you,” Cain said. “I’ll drop you off at the pub, but I need Aaron at the garage.”

“What about Dan?” Aaron protested. “It’s supposed to be my day off!”

“Yeah, and I need you! Deal with it!” Cain said sharply. Robert had the undeniable feeling that the older man was trying to keep his nephew away from him. Maybe he even wanted a private word with him, so he could try and convince Aaron to turn down Robert’s investment.

It would be up to Robert to make sure Aaron accepted the deal. Investing in the younger man’s business would give them a connection. It was something that would tie them together. After all the time he’d spent chasing after Aaron when the younger man felt like ignoring him, he rather liked the idea of having a ready made excuse to see him and spend time with him. He wasn’t going to let Cain get in the way of that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, but I hope after reading it none of you are left disappointed =)

22 December 2014

It felt like no matter what he did, Robert was left scrambling to make things better with both Chrissie and Aaron. He made up with Aaron, went out with him and Adam, and came away from breakfast at Barton cottage hopeful that they were back on track. He wasn’t sure what that track was, but it was good that they were on speaking terms again. It was impossible to decide what he wanted to do with Aaron when the younger man was avoiding him.

He had no sooner gotten back to the pub, feeling somewhat optimistic about things in general, when Chrissie swooped down on him. She seemed upset with him, but wouldn’t say why. Hoping it would all blow over on its own, Robert had spent all of Saturday with her and Lachlan. They went into Leeds to do some shopping, and didn’t return to Emmerdale until very late at night. On Sunday, he showed up bright and early at Home Farm to spend the morning alone with Chrissie. Later, he took Lachlan out to go see a movie. The boy was resentful of having to spend any amount of time alone with Robert, but he got to pick the movie out, so he at least didn’t try to cut their outing short.

Even Chrissie couldn’t deny he was putting in effort, yet she still seemed off with him by Monday. Robert had to focus on work when he got to Home Farm, but for lunch he got some takeout for them and tried to figure out what was wrong. He spotted her in the kitchen getting herself some water and pasted a huge grin on his face. “I hope you’re hungry! I bought lunch for us.”

“Thanks,” she said, sounding unenthusiastic.

Robert busied himself by emptying the brown paper sack of its contents, and arranging the food containers on the kitchen counter. He waited until they sat down to eat before saying, “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”

Chrissie pursed her lips, looking down at her salad as she stabbed at the lettuce leaves with her fork. Robert waited it out. Finally, she said, “If feels like we’re hardly a real couple anymore.”

“Of course we’re a real couple! We have the rings and the wedding date to prove it.”

“We hardly spend any time together,” she complained.

Robert laughed. “Chrissie, I just spent the entire weekend with you! Unless you want us to be joined at the hip, I don’t know what else we can do.”

“I hate that you’re not living here anymore,” she said, setting aside her plate and giving him some serious eye contact. Robert suddenly remembered having lunch with her like this not too long ago. She had dumped him that time.

“You know why we’re not living together,” he said, trying to keep his tone soothing instead of irritated.

“I just don’t see why we can’t tell Lucky that you’re moving in again and he has to get used to it! He was fine with it before my dad put all that rubbish in his head about you trying to steal me away from him!” He very badly wanted to tell her that she was living in a fantasy. Lachlan had never believed that Robert was trying to steal her away from him. The boy had been bribed by Lawrence, plain and simple. He hadn’t cared enough about his mum to consider her feelings. The boy was incapable of thinking about anyone except himself, but Chrissie loved him too much to see it.

“That’s what we did the first time around,” Robert told her. “I moved in, and Lachlan had to get used to it. We both thought he had, but obviously he wasn’t as happy with the situation as we thought.”

“It’s not like that’s going to happen again though, is it?” Chrissie pointed out. “This time I know what Dad is capable of. I’m not going to let him influence my son again!”

“Lachlan is already influenced! You can’t go back and undo that. The best thing for us now is to try to do better this time. That means I have to win him over before I move back in.” He reached out and grabbed her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. “It’ll be fine, I promise. Just give it a few more weeks.”

“Okay,” she said, and leaned over to kiss him. Feeling like he had won a battle, Robert finished his lunch and got back to work.

His good mood lasted until he got back to the pub after having dinner with Chrissie and her family. Robert entered the Woolpack through the front, intending to sit down and have a drink. Just as he walked in, he spotted Aaron disappearing through the back. Remembering that Adam and Aaron were supposed to have a business plan put together for him by today, he started to follow.

The Woolpack was busy tonight and both Diane and Chas were minding the bar. Their reactions to seeing him were complete opposites. “There you are, love!” Diane greeted him. “You’re not staying for a pint?”

“Not tonight, Diane. I wanted a word with Aaron,” he explained, inching toward the doorway that would lead him to the back.

“What do you want with him?” Chas asked, tone unfriendly and expression suspicious.

“You act like I’m going back there to pick a fight with him!” Robert protested, irritated at how the woman despised him for no good reason.

“Yeah, well I don’t trust you,” she said. “I don’t understand why you have to talk to Aaron at all!”

“Because we’re friends?” Robert suggested, beyond annoyed.

“I don’t like it. You’re up to something,” Chas said, pointing her finger at him. “I don’t know what, yet, but I’m going to find out.”

“Chas!” Diane scolded, 

“No, it’s alright Diane,” Robert said, holding his hands up like he was surrendering. “Go on and threaten me as much as you like, Chas. I’ve got nothing to hide.” With that outrageous lie, Robert turned on his heel and went through to the back.

He found Aaron sitting on the sofa, flipping through a newspaper. Robert couldn’t help smiling at the look of concentration on his face. “Hiya,” he said, sitting down next to the younger man.

His reaction left something to be desired. Aaron didn’t even look up from the paper when Robert spoke. “Hi,” he said, sounding as unenthusiastic as Chrissie had when Robert surprised her with lunch.

“That’s it?” Robert demanded. “That’s all I get?”

Aaron finally looked up from the paper, but all he did was shrug and give the appearance that he had no idea what Robert was talking about. “You were expecting me to shake your hand and ask how do you do?”

“Alright, what have I done now?” he asked.

“What makes you think you’ve done something wrong?”

“Because you’re acting weird!” Robert exclaimed, frustrated. 

“I said hi, didn’t I?” Aaron said angrily, folding up the paper and tossing it on the coffee table. “You’re the one getting all worked up! You said hi, then I said hi. That’s the way these things normally go!”

“Aaron, give me some credit. I can tell when you’re upset. Yes, you said hello, but you sounded unhappy with me.”

The younger man was sitting on the edge of the sofa, elbows resting on his knees. He dropped his face into his hands, rubbing at it tiredly. “Are we seriously arguing about this?”

Robert shifted closer to him, then cautiously wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Having been on the receiving end of Aaron’s temper, he figured it was best to take things slowly in case this set him off. Robert couldn’t say he minded his temper altogether, because while it was true that getting slammed against walls was painful, it did have the benefit of sometimes leading to a happy ending. It had been two very long weeks since the last time they had done more than grope each other. For now though, he just placed his arm around Aaron’s shoulders.

“Sorry,” he murmured softly. When Aaron didn’t immediately shove him away, Robert started stroking his hand up and down the younger man’s back.

Aaron lifted his head from his hands and turned his face slightly to look at Robert. They were sitting so closely that it was impossible not to think about kissing him. “Maybe I am bothered,” Aaron acknowledged, voice low.

“What is it?”

“This,” he said. In case Robert didn’t immediately follow, Aaron nudged him with his leg. The gesture brought his attention to the fact that they were sitting so closely that their thighs were pressed together. “You’re doing my head in, you know that?”

“So you are upset with me,” Robert said, with some resignation. If it wasn’t Chrissie, it was Aaron! He hadn’t yet found a way to make them both happy at the same time.

“I’m not angry, I just- maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

“Do what?” Robert whispered, drawing in closer. Aaron didn’t pull away. The younger man’s face filled his vision, and the urge to connect, to feel Aaron’s lips moving on his, to taste him, was so strong that it was an ache inside of him.

“You’re getting married,” Aaron murmured.

“I was always getting married,” Robert said softly.

“Yeah, but you were separated when we… It’s different now.”

“It doesn’t have to be. We can still do this.”

“I know, but what then? What happens once March comes along? You get married, then we just stop sleeping together and act like it never happened?”

The questions were too difficult. He couldn’t think of any answer except one. “I want you.”

Robert could see the effect of those words on Aaron. The younger man’s face was filled with need, his eyes bright with it. There was no stopping what came next between them. It was like a force of nature. Their lips met, and Robert pressed the other man back until he was reclining on the sofa. He crawled onto his lap, wanting to lose himself in him. Aaron returned his kisses fiercely, filling Robert with intense satisfaction.

Straddling Aaron’s thighs, Robert rocked against him, and just the feel of their cocks grinding against each other, even through the layers of trousers and briefs, made him groan as a sense of urgency filled him. He grabbed hold of Aaron’s wrists and pinned them against the back of the sofa. Breaking the kiss, Aaron turned his face aside, gasping for breath. Robert nibbled and kissed along the other man’s jaw, enjoying the way Aaron’s stubble scratched gently against his lips and chin.

“Wait,” Aaron moaned. Just the sound of his voice had Robert rocking against him again. “Upstairs,” he said.

Robert was enjoying this moment too much to stop. He felt like if he waited long enough for them to get upstairs, Aaron might start rethinking this. “No one will see us. Diane and Chas are minding the bar,” Robert reassured him.

“Only half right.”

They both froze for a second before Aaron shoved at him and Robert scrambled up off his lap. Getting to his feet, Robert turned to face Chas. She was standing by the entrance to the pub, arms crossed and hip cocked as she regarded the two of them standing guiltily next to each other. Robert’s heart felt like it had risen into his throat with the fear of discovery. His brain was racing, trying to come up with a way out of this, but he could tell by the fury and disgust on Chas’ face that nothing he said was going to make this go away.

“I came back here to see what you wanted with my son,” Chas said. She gave a disbelieving shake of her head as she looked at them. “I guess I know what you were after now.”

“Mum,” Aaron said uncomfortably.

“I don’t know what surprises me more: the fact that he’s gay,” she said to Aaron while pointing at Robert, “or that you’re stupid enough to get sucked into whatever games he’s playing.”

“I’m not playing any games,” Robert said. “And I’m not gay.”

Chas smirked and gave the sofa a pointed look. “I know what I saw on that sofa when I walked in. Gay or bisexual, I doubt Chrissie knows you’re either.”

“Nothing’s happened between us since he got back with her,” Aaron told her.

“Since he got ba- so you mean to tell me that since he moved in here, the two of you have been going at it?” Chas threw her hands up in the air, looking exasperated. “And you call that nothing?” she demanded. “Aaron, you can’t stand there and tell me that the two of you would have stopped before it went any further if I hadn’t walked in! What were you thinking?”

“Look, he’s getting married in March. It’s not like we’re serious!”

“Yes, Aaron, he’s getting married in March. That’s why this makes no sense! Why can’t you try it on with some other bloke who isn’t already taken. Like Finn!”

“Finn? Seriously?” Robert said, unable to help himself.

The look Chas gave him could have flayed him. “At least Finn isn’t engaged to a woman,” Chas snarled. “I wonder what Chrissie is going to say about all this?”

“You can’t tell her,” Robert said, feeling cold.

“I think the poor cow deserves to know what kind of man she’s engaged to!”

“Is it that he’s cheating, or that he’s doing it with another man that’s bothering you?” Aaron asked.

Chas stared at him, shocked. “That’s not fair! I’ve supported you, ever since you came out. I’m not bothered that he’s been having an affair with a man. I’m bothered that he’s been having one with you! You’re my son, and I love you. I don’t want to see you get hurt, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen if you carry on with him! Can’t you see that?” she plead with him.

Seeing Aaron’s resolve begin to waver, Robert stepped in. “Look, I’m not out to hurt anyone. Not Aaron, and not Chrissie. And like Aaron said, it’s hardly an affair. We haven’t… been together, in that way, since I got back with her.”

“That’s worse and worse, and you can’t even see it!” Chas shouted. “So what, he was just a distraction for you? Someone to take the edge off while you worked things out with your fiancee? This all would have made so much more sense if you actually cared about him. Instead, you’re just using him for however long it suits you!”

“That’s not the way it was,” Robert said, angry that she was trying to paint him as the villain.

“Then how was it, Robert? I’m dying to know. How was it? What were you thinking when you got into bed with my son?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you!” he said, feeling defensive.

“So why don’t you explain it to Aaron? He’s standing right there next to you. Tell him what was going through your head when you slept with him!”

“He already knows,” Robert said uncomfortably, shifting his weight nervously. 

“Does he?” Chas asked, voice suddenly getting softer. It somehow made the moment more poignant than if she had been shouting. “Aaron, love, I think you’re in way over your head. He’s going to use you, and then he’s going to get married while you’re left with nothing. Please, love, let me help you.”

Both Robert and Chas watched Aaron. It was clear he was struggling. His eyes went back and forth between them before he broke the tension by rubbing his face with his hands. “I need to think,” he said, making his way toward the side entrance and grabbing his jacket from the coat hanger near the stairs.

“Where are you going?” Chas asked, sounding worried. “Do you want me to come with?”

“No, I just need to get my head sorted,” he said, sounding distracted as he put his jacket on and zippered it.

Robert tried to think of something - anything - to say. He was scared that if he stayed silent when Aaron walked out that he’d be losing out on something later. “Aaron!” he called out when the younger man opened the door. He turned to look at Robert, who froze, dozens of words filling his head. There were a lot of things he would have chosen to say, but not with Chas standing right there. “Call me.”

Aaron gazed at him for a moment, eyes intense and features still. Finally, he nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

“Chas, are you back there?” Diane called from the pub.

“I’ll be right there!” Chas turned to give Robert one last glare. “Stay away from my son, Robert. He’s been through too much already to deal with your mess.”

She stalked out, heels clunking angrily with each step. Alone, Robert dropped down onto the sofa, burying his face in his hands. What was he going to do?


	13. Chapter 13

23 December 2014

All this time that he had been living at the pub, he and Chas had gone out of their way to avoid one another. Now, she seemed to be everywhere he turned. When he woke in the morning, she was in the kitchen, silently watching him as he made his morning coffee. He elected to have breakfast at the cafe, unwilling to force the issue with her. At least she couldn’t follow him to Home Farm and disturb him while he worked.

Knowing Diane was supposed to be working the bar today, he stopped at the Woolpack for his lunch. Diane was nowhere in sight, but _she_ was there. It didn’t help matters that Aaron was having a drink with Adam when Robert came in. His eyes went first to Aaron, seeing how relaxed he looked as he slumped in his chair and listened to Adam talk about Robert’s potential investment in the taxi firm. When Aaron finally looked up and caught sight of him, Robert could see him tense. The younger man sat up, as if suddenly uncomfortable.

Knowing it was him that had made Aaron uneasy, Robert hurriedly looked away. That’s when he saw her. Chas was standing behind the bar, rag in hand as she wiped up the counter. Her eyes were shooting daggers at him. Reluctantly, he approached her and sat on one of the bar stools. “Something for ya?” she asked, giving him what he guessed was supposed to be a friendly smile. In reality it looked like she was baring her teeth at him, snarling like an angry she-wolf protecting her cub.

“Just a pint,” he said, deciding he wouldn’t be able to eat here. Not while she was standing over him, looking as if she’d like nothing better than if a hole were to open up beneath him and he were to fall in and burn in hell. He watched as she grabbed a glass and poured him a pint. When she came over to place it in front of him, the look she gave him was belligerent. Robert slid the money across the counter toward her. She scowled at him as she gathered it up.

Luckily, Diane chose that moment to walk in. “Sorry I’m late,” she apologized to Chas, hurrying around the bar.

“It was no trouble,” Chas said. “I don’t mind sticking around for a while longer, if you like.” Robert knew that Chas wanted to stay where she could watch him and make sure he didn’t try anything with Aaron. Although what she expected him to do here at the pub, he couldn’t even begin to guess. It’s not like he was going to throw Aaron over a table and have his way with him!

“Nonsense! Go on, I’ve got it from here,” Diane told her. Chas looked like she might argue, but finally she nodded. She gave Robert a warning look before she disappeared through the back.

“Did she seem a bit off to you?” Diane asked him.

“No more than usual,” Robert lied. He sipped at his pint, worried. He didn’t trust Chas. She was going to go to Chrissie and ruin everything. Nodding to Diane, he got off his stool and headed to the table where Aaron sat with Adam. He took it as a bad sign when the young mechanic stared down at his drink rather than meet his eyes.

“Eyy! Look who it is!” Adam exclaimed, oblivious to the tension. Jumping to his feet, he pulled Robert into a quick, back thumping hug. “I wrote up that business plan you asked for,” Adam said. “It’s not with me, but if you’re going to be here for a few, I can run home and get it. See if you can have a look at it.”

“Tell you what, you go and get it, but drop it off at Home Farm, will you? I’m not going to stay here long, but I’ve got time this afternoon to review it.”

“Thanks, mate, you have no idea how much we appreciate this,” Adam said. “You coming with?” he asked Aaron as he grabbed his jacket. Aaron stood to go with him.

“Actually, I wanted a quick word with Aaron. I’m sure he can catch up to you later,” Robert said. Aaron’s continued refusal to meet his gaze was discouraging. Adam looked a bit surprised, but then shrugged it off and left them alone.

The pub was thankfully mostly empty, and the table Aaron and Adam had chosen for themselves was far enough away from others that Robert was reasonably sure they wouldn’t be overheard. He took Adam’s seat and waited for Aaron to sit back down. When he did, Aaron said, “If you’re worried my mum will go to Chrissie, don’t bother. I had a word with her. She won’t be dropping you in it.”

“That’s a relief,” he said, but his gut still felt tight with nerves. Nothing he had seen from Chas today had been reassuring. There was no way he could trust her to stay quiet. Not with a secret like that.

“Yeah, well, neither of us will talk so… are we done here?” Aaron asked, raising his eyebrows in question.

“Look, I know Chas interrupted us before anything could happen, but that doesn’t change the way I feel,” Robert whispered, leaning in.

“And how’s that?”

“You know.”

“Do I?” Aaron shook his head. “You’ve made it pretty clear where your priorities lie. You want to marry Chrissie. Isn’t it enough that we’ve already been caught once?”

“So you want to end it?” Robert asked angrily. “Because of Chas? I’m sure she’s been filling your ears with tales about me! All secondhand from Katie, who hates me in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Who cares what my mum’s said?” Aaron asked, annoyed. “You think I’m backing off just because she said so?”

“Aren’t you?”

Aaron slammed his hand down on the table, irritated. The four empty beer bottles he and Adam had gone through rattled on the surface of the table. “I’m not some little boy that does as he’s told!”

“Everything alright over there?” Diane called out.

Robert realized that both he and Aaron had leaned in over the table, the intensity of the moment drawing them together like magnets. They both pulled away, sitting back in their chairs. Robert looked over at Diane, who was gazing at them worriedly. “We’re fine,” he said.

“You’re sure?” she asked, unconvinced.

“No worries.” Turning back to Aaron, he whispered, “Sorry. It’s just yesterday we were fine and now it’s like you want nothing to do with me.”

“What did you expect?” Aaron asked him, shrugging. “I’m not saying I do whatever my mum tells me to, but she was right about one thing. You’re getting married in March, and whatever happens between us from now until then, that’s never going to change. What about me? Where do I fit into this?”

“Why does it have to be like that?” Robert asked, frustrated. “What happened to keeping it simple? It’s just you and me, having some fun. It’s not about fitting into anything!”

Aaron looked away, biting his lip. When he faced Robert again, his expression was unyielding and his eyes bright with emotion. “If it’s that simple, then tell me what we’re doing sitting here talking about it? You’ve had your bit of fun.”

“Don’t be like that,” Robert said. Aaron was pulling away from him, and he didn’t know how to stop it.

“We’re done,” Aaron told him, getting to his feet. “Go have your fun with Chrissie. Or if you can’t get it with her, go find some other lad to fool around with.” Robert stared at him, in shock as the younger man started to walk away. He felt a moment of hope when Aaron paused and turned back to face him. “As for the investment, I don’t want it. Find someone else to be your hobby. Adam and I will be fine without you.”

*****

24 December 2014

The burn of rejection set Robert on fire, and his temper was the worse for it. Chrissie noticed - how could she not? She tried to get him to talk to her, but that was impossible. He couldn’t explain even half of what was bothering him. He couldn’t tell her that Aaron was ignoring him, and he hated it. He couldn’t tell her that he was ashamed to have been caught snogging a man while sitting on his lap. He couldn’t tell her that he was beside himself with uncertainty over Chas keeping quiet. Robert’s refusal to speak to her made Chrissie unhappy. During dinner that night, her pouting aggravated him to the point where Robert wanted to vent his frustration and fling his plate across the dining room to smash against the wall.

He needed a physical outlet. He craved Aaron’s touch, and the way he could take charge when they came together. It was pointless thinking about it, though. Robert would never have that again. Instead, he grabbed Chrissie by the arm after Lawrence and Lachlan left the dining room and pulled her in close. She was upset with him, but soon she softened in his embrace and returned his kisses. He followed eagerly when she lead him up to her bedroom.

Robert pulled at her clothes eagerly, drowning out the way she giggled at his desperation. He covered her lips with his, and then pulled her toward the bed. Chrissie liked when he took his time with her, but tonight he didn’t have the patience. She was naked and spread beneath him. Robert ran his hands down the curves of her body; her soft breasts, her small waist, her rounded hips. He traveled down until he settled between her thighs and buried his face in her. Chrissie tasted familiar. Feminine. When she was screaming for him, he took a moment to grab a condom from the jewelry box she kept on the nightstand and put it on. Robert guided her onto her hands and knees before he sank into her. Without her eyes on him, he was able to close his own and just focus on his own pleasure without worrying about hers.

The image of Aaron’s face was waiting for him behind his closed lids. The way the younger man had looked before Robert had kissed him on the sofa and they had been discovered. His blue eyes, framed with dark lashes. Aaron’s face, fierce with need. Curved lips, reddened from the way he always bit at them. Robert grabbed hold of the warm body under his and pounded his desire into it. His anger. His frustration at how close he had gotten to having everything he wanted, only to have it taken away.

His orgasm, when it came, took him by surprise. Robert cried out, gripping Chrissie’s hips to hold her still as he thrust into her one last time and emptied into the condom. Breathless, he finally let go, discarded the condom, and threw himself down on the mattress. He wanted to enjoy the afterglow and not have to think, but Chrissie wrapped her arms around him and cuddled in close. “Oh my god,” she panted, looking sweaty and disheveled. “Where did that come from?”

Robert didn’t answer, but she wasn’t bothered. Chrissie soon nodded off. He waited a good fifteen minutes before untangling himself from her and getting dressed. It was too early for bed, and he didn’t want to spend the night anyway. Not yet. She’d start asking him to move back in again, and he didn’t want to have that conversation with her yet.

He drove back to the Woolpack, and was surprised at first when he walked in to find the place overflowing. That was when he saw the costumes, and he remembered that it was Andy’s stag do tonight. Tomorrow was Christmas day, and Andy would be marrying Katie. On top of everything else, it soured Robert’s mood further. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from letting loose a mocking laugh when he saw Andy dressed as Ginger Spice in a blue mini dress decorated with the Union Jack.

“Blimey!” Robert exclaimed as Andy lowered his head with embarrassment. The red wig and redder lipstick he wore just made the whole getup worse. “Wh- what are you wearing?” he laughed. When Andy didn’t answer, Robert took a deep breath and tried to control his laughter. “Don’t worry, Ginger. I’m not, er, come to crash. I just wanted to pop in and say… best for tomorrow.”

Andy seemed at a loss for words for a moment. “Look, why don’t you stay for a bit? I’ll buy you a pint.”

This was the most they had spoken to each other since Robert had found out about Jack’s ring being melted down. He was still in a bad mood, but for the moment he didn’t want to fight. “Cheers, but I’m doing the buying. Bernice!” he called out, seeing Diane’s daughter minding the bar. When she looked over her shoulder at him, he said, “Next couple of rounds are on me, alright?” She nodded, and Robert took one more look at Andy in his dress and laughed again. His brother gave a grudging smile, knowing he looked absurd.

Given his bad mood, Robert probably would have done better to leave while he and Andy had a truce going. Instead, he chose a seat at the bar that was as removed from the thick of things as it was possible to get. He drank round after round, the merriment of the others making him depressed. And then there was Aaron. Robert should have guessed he’d be here. The younger man looked so ridiculous in his costume it was adorable. He and Adam were dressed identically, all in white with big puffy coats on. They looked like a couple in matching costume. Robert tossed back his drink and then gestured to Bernice for another as he watched the two young men laughing together.

It only got worse from there. Vic had gotten hold of a love letter written by Andy to Katie from when they were kids. Finn read a short portion aloud, and it was so horrible it was funny. Then copies were passed around and Robert had a chance to read it in its entirety. There was stuff about Jack in there, and how he thought Andy was a bad influence on Robert. That had been in the beginning, before Andy had become their father’s favorite.

Robert was drunk, and the letter stirred up all his feelings of resentment toward Andy. So when his brother approached him, Robert was in no mood to mend fences. He brought up the part of the letter about Jack, and then said, “He was always looking out for you.”

“And you,” Andy said, nodding his agreement.

Robert scoffed. “What? By sending me away you mean? After Max.” After he and Andy had driven their cars toward each other, determined to kill one another only to have Max die instead.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean,” Andy said. “He kept you safe.”

Robert looked at Andy in disgust. How could he be so blind? “Yeah, and coincidentally far, far away from him! And from my home.” Robert lifted his glass and took a large gulp of his ale.

“Is that what this is about? You resenting me and dad?” Andy asked, as if all the pieces had just clicked together in his head.

“No, no of course not. It’s all in the past. He’s dead.” Andy stared at him, as if he was trying to figure Robert out. “You know what? I bet he’d have loved to be here on your big day. Eh? Seeing his little tear-away adopted son getting everything he wanted: the girl, the farm…” Robert seemed to get the short end of the stick every time. Here was Andy, having his dreams come together, while Robert had lost half of what he wanted for himself. He still had Chrissie and the money, but Aaron had washed his hands of him. Once Robert moved back to Home Farm, he doubted he’d see Aaron at all.

“He’d have been proud of you and all,” Andy told him. All Robert heard was a platitude; a bone Andy was throwing for a starving dog.

“Just don’t, alright? Don’t patronize me!”

“I wasn’t!”

“I don’t need your fake brotherly concern alright? You’re as bad as him. You know what the best part of being back here is?” Robert asked him. “He’s not around anymore!”

He managed to disgust Andy. His brother stormed out of the pub, leaving Robert to wallow in his own misery. He was sad, and he hated it. He preferred being angry. So Robert got to his feet and followed Andy out, determined to have it out with him. He followed him straight to the cemetery, where Andy stood over Jack’s grave, playing the mournful son. “It’s a bit late to ask his blessing,” Robert called out.

“Just leave me alone, yeah.”

“Or are you just apologizing again?” Robert suggested, ignoring him. “Sorry I burned mum to death!”

“I’m serious, Robert. You’ve had a drink and I’m not in the mood.”

“No,” Robert said. “You just prefer to talk to the dead. Anyway, I reckon you’ve got your priorities wrong,” he said, trying to get a rise out of him. “If I were you, I’d worry about what Katie’s doing on her last night of freedom. I bet she had a stripper,” Robert taunted him. “I bet she loved it!” He laughed shakily, feeling drunk, and miserable, and angry.

“I get it,” Andy said, eyeing him knowingly. “You just want me to hit you, don’t ya? So you’ve got a black eye on my wedding day, make out like we’re some rivals for Katie. Well guess what? I don’t need to. I’ve already won.”

“Yeah? Sure about that, are you? Because you were sure about Katie at the last wedding, weren’t you. It was about this time that she was in bed with me! Not that it just happened in the bed,” Robert told him, wanting Andy to hurt. “It was in the shower; up against the wall. I bet you regret saying you’re not going to punch me now, eh?”

Robert had been pushing for a fight, wanting it, but he was still taken by surprise when Andy struck out. He punched Robert in the gut, leaving him bent over in pain and gasping for air.

“I never said that! I just said I wouldn’t give you a black eye,” Andy said. Robert had just been sucker punched by a man dressed as Ginger Spice. Furious, he swung at Andy, decking him. His brother fell to the ground, and then Robert was on him. They were on the grass, fighting over their father’s grave, when Victoria ran over, screaming for them to stop. She must have followed them to the cemetery, and she had brought Finn with her.

The lad pulled Robert up off of Andy. He hardly knew what he said before he finally stumbled away, heading back toward the pub. It was likely just drunken babble meant to hurt Andy even more. He managed to get back to the guestroom without anyone spotting him. Robert fell into bed fully clothed, bruised and aching inside and out. He felt stupid and pathetic, but the worst thing was that he knew if Aaron were to walk through his door right now, all of those feelings would drop away as if they had never existed. Aaron had a hold on him, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t shake it.

Before he nodded off into a drunken slumber, Robert promised himself that he’d try talking to Aaron one last time. If the other man turned him away again, he’d call it quits. Robert wasn’t going to beg. If Aaron didn’t want him, why should he care?

It’s not like there were feelings involved, after all.


	14. Chapter 14

25 December 2014

“Robert, I know we talked about it before, but... You said you wanted to take it slowly, but when you were here yesterday, I felt like something had changed,” Chrissie said. “I don’t want to wait one second longer! I want you back, living here with me. Pack your bags! You’re coming home.”

Robert felt the panic rising.

It was a good thing, then, that he was listening to a voicemail from Chrissie rather than having this conversation with her in person. It was just after ten in the morning, and he had woken up to the sound of his phone ringing. The call had gone to voicemail while he was still feeling around blindly for his phone on the bedside table. It had taken him a moment to then blink the sleep from his eyes and focus them enough to see who had called him. Robert was still half asleep when he held the phone to his ear. It was amazing how quickly he’d woken up once he realized what she was talking about.

Cursing, he sat up in bed and ran his fingers through his hair. Robert had been worried all along that she’d get tired of waiting. He knew he would move back in with Chrissie eventually, but he’d been hoping for more time! More time to speak to Aaron; to convince him that it wasn’t a mistake to continue seeing Robert; to pick up where they had left off so he could try to get Aaron out of his system. He could possibly still do those things, if he was living with Chrissie at Home Farm. However, there was no denying that living at the pub gave Robert better access to Aaron, and it limited Chrissie’s opportunities to discover he was having an affair.

Robert thought back to the voicemail, trying to wrap his mind around it. She had said that something had changed yesterday, and it had made her feel like waiting for him to move in was no longer what she wanted. So what had happened yesterday? He’d been in a terrible mood. He had barely said two words to her. And then, in his frustration, he had chased her up to her room and fucked her like she was a nameless woman he was having a one night stand with. So which part had bothered her most? Or maybe she had liked it?

Feeling groggy in a way that he decided was punishment for overindulging in alcohol the night before, Robert got to his feet and grabbed a couple of towels before heading for the bathroom. A shower helped to revive him a little. It left him feeling fresher and a little more capable of facing the issues in front of him. His issues had names: Chrissie and Aaron.

On the one hand he had Chrissie, who was asking for more than Robert wanted to give right now. On the other hand he had Aaron, who claimed he wanted Robert to leave him alone. This was his dilemma in its simplest form. Then there were a whole host of concerns attached to those problems. If he didn’t give in to Chrissie and move back to Home Farm, would she get angry? And if she got angry, would she dump him again? Robert didn’t want her to break up with him, so he should move back in, right? But then if he moved in, would he be ruining his chances of getting Aaron into bed again? The other man had already broken it off because Robert was engaged, so it followed that Aaron would not react well if Robert was once again living with his fiancee.

It was all too confusing! Frustrated, Robert turned off the water and grabbed his towel, wrapping it around his hips before getting out of the stall. He stood at the sink and brushed his teeth, trying to come to some kind of decision. As Robert saw it, worrying about any of these problems was pointless until he figured out one thing. He needed to know if he still had a chance with Aaron. He first had to see if Aaron could be talked around before Robert even considered trying to figure out some way to get Chrissie to back off a bit. If Aaron turned him down again, then there was no point sticking around the pub, where Robert would be tormented by sleeping next door to Aaron and where he would be subjected to Chas’ scrutiny.

So that settled it. Before he returned Chrissie’s call, he needed to talk to Aaron. Feeling resolved, Robert rinsed his mouth out and put his toothbrush away. He chose to not overthink the fact that if he wasn’t irrationally attracted to Aaron, there would be no problem. If not for his unreasonable desire to be close to Aaron, he would have jumped at the chance to move in with Chrissie the first time she asked him.

Robert grabbed his second towel and threw it over his head, rubbing his hair dry as he blindly reached for the doorknob and stepped out of the bathroom. He ran into someone, and automatically flung his hands out to steady himself. It was like deja vu from the first day he’d moved into the pub. Except this time, even with his eyes covered by the towel thrown over his head, Robert recognized the body he ran into. When his hands smacked against that firm chest, he knew immediately who it was.

Fingers fisting into the soft hoodie, Robert steadied himself. He held still as Aaron reached up and pulled the towel off his head for him, so that he could see. It felt like an electric current ran through him when their eyes met. “Sorry,” Robert murmured.

Aaron regarded him for a moment, eyes intense. “Don’t make a habit of it, yeah,” he said, stepping away.

Robert clutched at the other man’s hoodie. “Aaron, wait.”

“Let go.”

“I just want to talk to you.” The other man looked like he was going to argue, but they heard steps on the stairs then. “Come on,” Robert whispered, letting go of Aaron’s hoodie in favor of going around him to open his bedroom door. He stepped in and stood aside so that Aaron could enter, then hastily shut the door before whoever was out there made it to the top of the stairs. They stood in Robert’s room, silent and tense when the unmistakeable sound of Chas’ heels clunked down the hall, past Robert’s door, and stopped at Aaron’s bedroom.

“Aaron?” she called out, knocking. She did that a couple of times before they heard her open the door, presumably to check if Aaron was asleep in there. Seconds later the door closed and she made her way back through the hallway and down the stairs.

“Great, now I’m going to have to sneak down and pretend I just got in,” Aaron muttered. “Otherwise she’ll wonder where I was, and it’s not going to take her long to figure out I was in here with you!”

“Sorry,” Robert said, but not really feeling apologetic at all. He couldn’t have planned this conversation out better if he’d tried! He had wanted one last shot at Aaron, and this was it. If Robert happened to be mostly naked and still damp from his shower, so much the better. He wasn’t above using his body to convince Aaron to get into bed with him. Robert smirked when he caught the younger man’s eyes roaming over his chest, then down to his hips where the towel covered him.

Glancing up and realizing Robert had noticed his ogling, Aaron scowled. “You said you wanted to talk, so what is it?”

“You were upset the last time we spoke,” Robert said. “Your mum had just caught us, and I don’t think you gave us a fair shot because of it.”

“Are you serious?” Aaron asked, incredulous. “It’s over! How many times do I have to say it?”

“Maybe if you explained it to me, I’d let it go,” Robert said.

“I don’t believe this. Robert, you’ve got a fiancee. That’s all the reason either of us need, isn’t it?”

“That didn’t stop you before,” Robert said, unwilling to let this go. “Before Chas walked in, you were willing to ignore that small fact. So what changed?”

Aaron turned away, hands on his hips as he hung his head and struggled with some kind of emotion. Robert waited it out, not pushing. Finally, the younger man turned to face him again. “It doesn’t matter what changed. Before I came up here, you want to know what I saw? I went through the pub’s kitchen. Vic was crying in there.”

“Why, what’s happened?” Robert asked, concerned.

Aaron scoffed, shaking his head at Robert. “You happened! You’re making your little sister’s life a misery! She told me about your little fight with Andy at the cemetery.”

“What do you care?” Robert asked, unable to help getting defensive. A split second later, jealousy flared up inside him. “Is it Andy? You fancy him or something?”

“Vic’s a mate. I care about her.”

“What, and I don’t?”

“You don’t act like it,” Aaron told him.

Robert looked away. “Look, I have my reasons, alright?” Aaron just didn’t know the entire story. He didn’t know that Andy had stepped into Robert’s life and stolen his place. He was like Jack’s son 2.0 - better than the original model, with a few minor defects like beating his wife and killing his mother. Everyone was willing to overlook that, but they turned their noses up at Robert for every indiscretion!

“Yeah, ten years ago! Now you just look like some mad control freak!”

Surprised, Robert looked at Aaron. “I’m sorry, what’s Vic actually said?” Yes, he and Andy certainly had a history and their share of problems, and Robert couldn’t deny his need to be in control, but nothing about the other night had been down to Robert’s need to control anything!

“It doesn’t matter,” Aaron said, not even giving him a chance to explain himself. “I just don’t need to be around people like that.”

“Listen, me and Andy -”

“No!” Aaron shouted. “You listen to me, Robert! You can’t make me be with you! We’re done.” He made to leave, but Robert positioned himself in front of the door.

“You can wrestle me out of the way, but it’s going to make noise, and Chas is probably going to come up here to check what it is,” he said quickly. It made Aaron pause, fisting his hands in anger as he glared at Robert. “Just hear me out! The last thing I want to do is make Vic miserable, alright? Ever since I’ve come back to the village, I’ve been trying to fix things with her. With Andy too, believe it or not.”

“You have a funny way of showing it,” Aaron told him.

“Oh, please, you expect me to believe you’ve never done things you regret?” Robert demanded. “I’m trying here! Some days it just seems impossible! Especially when…”

“What?” Aaron asked, actually seeming to be hearing him out. He couldn’t help but compare this to how Chrissie had never given him a chance to explain his side of things when she had kicked him out.

“Well, when other things are bothering me,” Robert told him.

“What other things?”

“You can’t guess?”

For a moment it looked like he had gotten through to him. As they had spoken, Robert had stepped away from the door, and closer to Aaron. There was a yard of space between them, and from the look on Aaron’s face he wanted to close the distance as bad as Robert did. He saw the moment some other thought broke through Aaron’s desire for him, causing the younger man to frown and turn his back on Robert.

“Please,” Robert said. “Just tell me what’s stopping you! You want this as much as I do.”

“More,” Aaron said, voice low, back still turned to Robert.

“What?”

“I want it more than you,” he said. “That’s the problem. To you, I’m nothing! Just one last hurrah before you tie the knot with your bird. You wanted to know what changed after my mum walked in on us? She made me realize that after you get married, you’re going to drop me and never look back.”

“Aaron…”

“Don’t say anything, alright,” the younger man said, still turned away. It was frustrating to not be able to see his face right now, just the back of his head. “We both knew the score. It was supposed to be simple. Well, I’m saving us both from things getting complicated. I’m ending it now, before my feelings for you get in the way. So just leave it, yeah?”

Not knowing what to say, Robert came up behind the other man and laid a hand on his shoulder. The touch made Aaron turn toward him, face red with emotion and eyes bright with tears. It made Robert feel terrible. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I never thought feelings came into it.” If anything, he had thought Aaron wanted this less than he did. Robert felt like it was always him chasing after the younger man, while Aaron seemed unfazed.

“Not your fault,” Aaron told him, sounding awkward for the first time in Robert’s memory. He stepped back, away from Robert. “You made it clear from the beginning that you love Chrissie. So let’s just call it quits. And I mean completely. We can’t be mates, alright? No investment either.”

Robert knew everything the other man was saying was true, and it was for the best. Yet he found himself taking a step forward. It was almost like having an out of body experience. He should be ushering Aaron out the door and thanking him for not complicating things, then calling Chrissie and telling her he was going to be moved in by the end of the day. Instead, Robert closed the distance between him and Aaron, grabbing onto the younger man’s waist in a move that felt natural and right. “Yeah, well that’s a shame. The thing is… I was hoping we could carry on. You and me. After the wedding.”

“Robert, I have feelings for you,” Aaron told him, like he expected that to make him run for the hills.

“I heard you,” Robert murmured, pressing in close as he felt himself stirring with interest.

“I don’t think you did,” Aaron said, looking conflicted. He didn’t pull away, but he also didn’t give in. “I’m nothing to you,” Aaron reminded him.

“You know, Chrissie asked me to move back in with her,” Robert told him.

Aaron pulled away angrily. “I’m happy for you,” he said.

“Come on, don’t be like that.” Robert grabbed hold of his waist again and pulled him back in. “She asked me three weeks ago. I said no.”

Aaron froze. “Why?” Robert sighed. He had to go and ask the one question even Robert didn’t understand the answer to.

“Does it matter?” he asked, leaning in and hoping to distract the younger man.

“Yeah, it kind of does,” Aaron answered, turning his face away so that Robert’s kiss landed on his cheek. Liking the feel of the soft scruff against his lips, he nuzzled against Aaron’s jaw. “You going to to answer the question?” Robert continued kissing his way down Aaron’s neck. “I’m going to start thinking you’re making it up.”

Pulling back, Robert said, “Why would I make that up? Anyway, I’ve got proof if you need it.” Reluctantly letting go of Aaron, he went for his phone, which was back on the bedside table where he’d left it before going to shower. Accessing his voicemail, he put the phone on speaker and played the message Chrissie had left him that morning.

Her voice filled the room, and Robert watched Aaron’s face as he listed to Chrissie’s words. “Robert, I know we talked about it before, but... You said you wanted to take it slowly, but when you were here yesterday, I felt like something had changed. I don’t want to wait one second longer! I want you back, living here with me. Pack your bags! You’re coming home.”

“So you are moving back in,” Aaron said, expression guarded.

“She left me that message about an hour ago. I haven’t called her back yet,” Robert said.

“What are you going to say when you call her?”

Robert shrugged. “I guess that depends on what happens here. Now.” Aaron nodded, biting his lip. Robert stayed put, waiting for the younger man to decide. He smirked, triumphant as Aaron walked over to him where he stood next to the bed. He held his hands loose at his sides as the other man shifted closer. There was no denying the chemistry between them, not when the air felt like it was crackling between them by the time Aaron was standing just an arm's length away. Robert looked down into that gorgeous face, enjoying the way Aaron’s blue eyes travelled over his own features, moving from Robert’s eyes to his lips. Aaron tilted his chin up, tempting Robert with those perfect lips. But he wanted Aaron to make the first move this time.

Robert could feel his heartbeat pounding in his throat as he watched Aaron’s right hand reach out toward him. He shivered as calloused fingers trailed along his stomach, where the white towel still wrapped around his hips. He knew what was going to happen next, and the anticipation of the moment had his head swimming as desire coursed through him. Robert watched as Aaron’s fingers worked at the towel, where Robert had tucked it tightly into place, and then the younger man was pulling it free. Cool air bit eagerly at his damp skin as he stood naked before Aaron.

“Get on the bed,” Aaron said, voice rough. Robert sat down, legs hanging off the side as he leaned back and propped himself upright on his elbows. The look on Aaron’s face as he stared at Robert while he began undressing himself made Robert moan eagerly. He was impatient as Aaron flung aside first his hoodie, then raised his shirt over his head and let it drop to the floor. The sight of Aaron’s scarred chest had Robert’s cock throbbing with need. Aaron was beautiful - scars didn’t change that. He thought he’d die, waiting for the other man to kick off his shoes and then pull off his jeans and briefs. He made an impatient noise when Aaron took the time to take his socks off too.

Finally, Aaron came to him, nudging Robert’s knees further apart so he could stand between them and lean down to kiss him. “You have to be quiet, remember?” Aaron told him when he finally pulled away. “No matter what I do.”

Nodding quickly, Robert watched as Aaron knelt on the floor. He felt himself begin to flush eagerly when the younger man tugged his hips closer to the edge of the bed. Knowing exactly what Aaron wanted to do, Robert lifted his feet from the floor and grabbed hold of the backs of his knees, exposing himself for the other man. He was not disappointed. Aaron lowered his face until he was licking along Robert’s opening. He couldn’t stop the groan that escaped him as he felt that warm tongue and soft lips working, and the tickle of Aaron’s beard against his sensitive skin. Robert protested when the younger man pulled back.

“Remember - quiet,” Aaron told him, before lowering his face and picking up where he left off.

“Oh, fuck me!” Robert gasped - quietly - when Aaron’s tongue delved into him. There really was no stopping the throaty sounds that escaped him, or the frustrated whine when Aaron pulled away.

“Where’s your lube?” Aaron asked. Robert stared at those reddened lips, mesmerized. Then Aaron pinched his arse, getting his attention. “Lube. Condoms. Where?”

“Top drawer of the dresser,” Robert said. Aaron got up and had to cross the room, and Robert cursed himself for not just putting them on the bedside table. He lay there, holding onto his legs and waiting there wantonly. He didn’t feel self conscious at all, not when Aaron turned back toward him with the lube and an unopened box of condoms. The look that came over the younger man’s face when he saw Robert waiting for him made his cock twitch and precum start to leak down his shaft.

Aaron came to stand over Robert, flipping open the bottle of lube. The other man squirt some directly onto Robert’s arse, then began massaging it in with his fingers. “Hurry,” Robert moaned, not wanting to wait. He wanted something a lot bigger than Aaron’s fingers inside of him. Taking him at his word, Aaron sped up on prepping him. Robert felt the burn as the other man worked his way up to three fingers inside him, but he didn’t mind. Especially when it meant that he’d have Aaron inside him that much sooner. He was sweating and out of breath when the other man hurriedly ripped open the box of condoms, swearing when they spilled out onto the floor. He bent and grabbed one, tearing it open and rolling it on.

“I want you under me,” Aaron said. Robert let go of his legs again and scooted back, laying down properly and shivering as Aaron crawled on top of him. Neither of them were interested in prolonging the moment. It had been almost a full three weeks since the last time they had been together like this, and Aaron seemed as thirsty for it as he was. The other man settled between Robert’s legs and lined himself up. It shouldn’t have been such a turn on that Aaron knew him well enough to cover Robert’s mouth with his hand to quiet him before beginning to thrust into him.

Unable to hold back his moan, Robert bucked his hips up toward Aaron, delirious with the feel of the other man shoving into him. “Christ, you’re tight,” Aaron gasped, fingers tightening over Robert’s mouth as he gave a last shove with his hips, bottoming out.

Robert had his arms and legs wrapped around the man above him as sounds pushed their way out of him no matter how hard he tried to stop them. Aaron pulled his hand away so he could more easily prop himself over Robert and pull out almost completely before thrusting back in. “Ah, fuck,” Robert moaned. “Please, yes!”

“Beg for it,” Aaron panted, quickening his pace.

“Please,” Robert begged. “Harder! Ungh,” he groaned as Aaron slammed into him, cock skimming against his prostate with each stroke. “Please, please!” Robert devolved into wordless noises as he lost himself in the feel of being pounded into the mattress. It was harsh and exactly what he had been missing. Aaron mashed his lips against Robert’s, mouth hot and wet on his in a kiss that was all passion and had nothing to do with finesse. There was no room for skill in this moment between them. It was raw and wild, and the messiness of Aaron sliding into him and claiming his mouth was exactly what he wanted.

Aaron moaned as he came, thrusting hard one last time. Taking advantage of the other man’s distraction, Robert rolled them over so he could grind down onto him. Aaron’s cock hit that spot inside him, and Robert fisted his own cock as he came, spilling his load all over the younger man’s chest as his orgasm swept through him. Trembling and weak, Robert pulled up off of Aaron and collapsed beside him, one leg and an arm thrown over him as if Robert couldn’t bear to let go of him entirely.

He heard the scrape of heels against the wooden floor too late to do anything except sit up in alarm. Robert’s door flung open, and Chas barged in. Both Robert and Aaron scrambled for the sheets and pillows to cover themselves as she let herself in.

Chrissie was right behind her.

“Oh my god!” Chrissie cried out, hands flying to her face as she stared at the scene in front of her. There was no way he could pretend nothing had happened, not with both him and Aaron naked and sweaty on the bed in a room that smelled of sex. “Oh my god,” she said again, voice pitching into a wail as she began to cry.

“Chrissie…” he said, finally managing to pull the sheet over him completely.

“How could you!” she screamed, face screwing up in a mix of pain and fury. “How could you, Robert! You-you -” Words failing her, Chrissie reached over to the dresser and grabbed the first thing she could reach. The bottle of cologne flew across the room, narrowly missing Robert’s head before smashing to pieces against the wall.

“Hey!” Chas yelled, grabbing hold of Chrissie’s arm as Robert and Aaron scrambled off the bed, away from the shards of broken glass. “That’s my son on that bed! I won’t let you hurt him!”

“I don’t care about your son!” Chrissie spat, pulling out of Chas’ grip. “He’s been having an affair with my fiancee!” She pointed her finger at Aaron, as if there was any doubt who she had been referring to. Robert felt his last mad bit of hope that he could explain his way out of this situation leave him entirely when he turned to see Aaron holding a large pillow in front of himself. It managed to hide his cock and lower stomach, but his chest was entirely visible. It was still streaked with Robert’s cum. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there were about two dozen unused condoms at his feet from when he’d dropped the box earlier. Aaron was red-faced with embarrassment as he reached for one of the blankets on the bed, clearly wanting to swap out the pillow for something a bit more substantial.

“Leave my son out of this,” Chas warned as Robert stood there numbly, unsure what to do.

“How can you defend him?”

“If you want to fight with someone, do it with Robert. He’s the one that cheated on you! I’m not saying my son is blameless, but -”

Chrissie grabbed Robert’s keys from on top of the dresser and flung them at Aaron. He shielded his face so that they struck his hands. The blanket he’d wrapped around himself fell to the ground, and Robert was horrified when he realized Aaron was still wearing the used condom from earlier. There had been no time to tie it off and discard it before Chas and Chrissie had come in.

Robert hurriedly put himself in front of Aaron, trying to shield him from sight. Neither woman was paying attention. Chas had launched herself at Chrissie, slapping the younger woman hard. Chrissie stared, in shock, holding her hand to her cheek. “Oi!” Robert yelled, forgetting about hiding Aaron. He put himself between the two women, only to have Chrissie turn on him.

“Chrissie, stop!” he yelled, gripping his sheet with one hand and hiding his face with the other as she began hitting him.

“I hate you!” she screamed, pummeling his arm and shoulder with her fists as he covered his face. She finally stopped, only to run from the room, sobbing.

“Chrissie!” he called out, going after her. He ran down the stairs, but she had already pulled open the door and was stepping outside. She slammed it in his face before he could say anything else to her.

“Robert?” Diane called out.

Shoulders tensing, Robert turned. His family was standing in the parlor, dressed up for Andy’s wedding. “What’s going on, Robert?” Vic asked, looking concerned. “Why was Chrissie crying?”

“Open your eyes, Vic,” Andy said, shaking his head. “He was clearly up there with someone else. Chrissie caught him at it, no doubt.”

“Is this true?” Diane asked.

It was too much. At this point he wouldn’t be surprised if the whole of Emmerdale came in to point at him and shake their heads disapprovingly. Not bothering to answer Diane, Robert wrapped his sheet more securely around himself and went back up the stairs.

Where he was met by a furious Chas. Of course.

“I hope you’re pleased with yourself,” she snarled, shoving past him. From her anger, he guessed that Aaron had probably told her to sod off. Sure enough, when Robert returned to his room, which smelled overpoweringly of cologne, he found it empty. Aaron had probably closed himself up in his own room to avoid Chas. To be honest, Robert was grateful for it. He just wanted to be alone, so he could have time to come to terms with the fact that his life was utterly and completely ruined.

There was no coming back from this.

It was lucky for him that today was Andy’s wedding day. He had no doubt that if Vic and Diane hadn’t had to go to the church for the ceremony, they would have been banging on his door demanding answers. It gave Robert time to dress himself, open a window to help air out the room, and clean up the broken glass on his bed. The mattress itself was soaked in cologne and was probably ruined. He’d have to buy Diane a new one. When he did, he’d make sure it was a good one. It seemed he was going to need a place to stay indefinitely, and he’d come to really dislike that tiny bed. Maybe he could get a bigger one.

As he pulled the bedsheets off and wiped at the sopping mattress with his discarded bath towel, Robert discovered a dent in the wall where the bottle had struck it. He had no doubt that if Chrissie’s aim had been better, he’d either be seriously injured or dead.

The entire thing felt surreal, like it had happened to someone else. It didn’t feel over to him, but he knew it was. It had to be. Chrissie would never take him back. Not after the humiliation of finding him in bed with a man. If she had caught him doing almost anything else, he’d be at her doorstep already, begging forgiveness. This was different. It was different from other times he’d been called out for cheating. It was the first time someone he cared for had found out he not only occasionally found men attractive, but he sometimes slept with them as well.

Robert felt ashamed and humiliated. He had no idea what to do next, but staying in this room was unbearable. At least for tonight, he needed to be somewhere else. Some place that didn’t smell like someone had mopped the floor with cologne, and more importantly, where he wouldn’t run the risk of seeing Aaron.

Aaron. Robert was filled with both rage and desperation at the thought of him.

Somehow, in his head, this whole mess was Aaron’s fault. He knew very well that he had set out to seduce the younger man today, and he had been filled with a sense of victory when Aaron had taken him to bed. In fact, if he was being fair, Robert had to acknowledge that from the first kiss to this last fuck, he had instigated all of it. And yet… Aaron had this hold on him that he couldn’t break. He had never felt this way about any other man, and it made him want to blame Aaron.

If he saw him now, Robert knew he would be cruel. That’s where the desperation came in when he thought of Aaron. He had plotted and schemed his way back into Aaron’s pants, and now this. As angry as he was, and as full of blame, Robert was almost afraid. He was scared to lose Aaron because of and in addition to Chrissie. He was scared to be without one or the other of them, afraid to be alone. They were the two people he cared about most, he saw that now. He’d been fooling himself when he had thought he had no feelings for the other man. Robert cared for him even above Vic.

The very idea that his feelings for a man surpassed even his love for his sister filled Robert with dread and self-loathing. He had never taken himself for gay or bisexual. Until now. Until Aaron.

No, he couldn’t face either Aaron or Chrissie right now. He needed to get away, even if it was just for a night. Robert packed an overnight bag for himself and found his keys on top of the mound of condoms on the floor. Luckily, he made it out of the pub and into his car without running into anyone.


	15. Chapter 15

31 December 2014

Robert was a coward. He knew it, but it didn't make him come home any sooner. When he left the pub, he had intended to go away for a night, just to get his head sorted. One night turned into two, and before he knew it, Robert had been gone for nearly an entire week. The decision to absent himself was a selfish one. Even though he knew it was bound to make certain discussions more difficult, it was still easier to bury his head in the sand for a while longer and pretend everything was going to be alright. He booked himself a room in a nice hotel and could almost pretend he was there for a business trip. Robert even decided to work while he was there, to help pass the time and give him something to focus on.

When he woke late in the morning on Boxing Day, he already had five messages from Chrissie. He didn’t bother to listen to them. Robert went into his phone settings and put the ringer on silent for each one of his contacts that he thought might try calling him: Chrissie, Aaron, Vic, Diane, Andy, and Katie. He ended up having to do the same for Lawrence and Lachlan. The only calls Robert accepted during his stay at the hotel were from clients. He scheduled meetings like nothing had changed, grateful for the strictly professional conversations that gave him something to do besides lay in bed and stare at the telly.

It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve that Robert decided he had to face reality. Unless he planned to run from Emmerdale and never return, he had to do something about the mess he’d left behind. The very thought of never going back made his stomach hurt. Although he’d been reluctant at first to move back, it felt right to be there. Emmerdale was his home, for better or worse. He’d already had to leave it once, when his father had sent him away. He wasn’t about to leave a second time just because he was too cowardly to face his fiancee and his lover.

Preparing himself to go back, Robert picked up his phone and checked his missed calls. He counted 27 from Chrissie, 14 from Vic, seven from Lachlan, six from Lawrence, four from Diane, and strangely, only two from Aaron. He’d called Robert on Boxing Day, when he probably realized Robert had left, and then once again this morning. It made Robert more than a bit curious. It was weird to have gotten so many calls from Chrissie and only two from Aaron.

As ever, the younger man posed a puzzle for Robert. His curiosity made it a bit easier to go into his voicemails and start sifting through them. He saved himself any added stress by deleting the messages left by Chrissie after listening to the first two. Describing them as angry tirades was putting it mildly. Lawrence’s voicemails lacked the vitriol of Chrissie’s, but were packed full of threats. Lachlan left a few threats as well, which the lad probably thought were scarier than they were (which was not at all). In comparison, the concerned voicemails left by Vic were somewhat soothing. Diane’s were short and sweet; she just wanted him to come back safely in the first, and in the second she thanked him for sending cleaners to take care of the guest room and installers to set up a new bed.

Aaron’s two messages were vastly different from one another. In the first one, he sounded uncomfortable, which Robert fully understood since they’d both been caught starkers in bed together the day before the voicemail was left. His words came out almost hesitantly as he said, “I went to check on you, but you’re gone. Probably want to get yourself sorted. I’m guessing you didn’t answer this call because you don’t want to speak to me yet. Listen, I talked to my mum. I thought she had told Chrissie about us, but she says that Chrissie turned up on her own to see you. Probably about that voicemail she left you about moving in. Anyway, I’m here when you do want to talk. Or if you want to skip the talk, we can just go out and get plastered or something. Oh, and no one knows it was me you were with, except for my mum and Chrissie. Thought you might like to know, since I know it matters to you. I guess I’ll be seeing you soon. Bye.”

Robert’s voicemails were all in chronological order, so he had quite a few to get through before reaching the last of his messages. It was the one Aaron had left for him this morning. This time the uncertainty was gone from his voice, and he sounded upset. “Robert, it’s Aaron. I get you don’t want to talk to me, but you could have at least sent me a text to tell me what a huge mistake you think you made by sleeping with me. You’d have called me by now if you weren’t out there somewhere trying to convince yourself that you’re not interested in men. I’m not going to waste anymore of my time worrying about you if you’re just going to blank me. Tell you what- if I don’t hear from you by tonight, then I’ll take it as your way of telling me it’s over. It’s New Year’s Eve, so I’ll give you until midnight to call me.”

It was late afternoon, so he had time before Aaron’s deadline. It gave Robert a chance to pace the length of his hotel room and finally, for the first time in days, think about what had happened and what he wanted to do. Aaron had given Robert an ultimatum that wasn’t to be ignored. The very thought of Aaron filled him with conflict, and he quickened his steps as he paced a room that suddenly felt too small. He had hours before midnight; there was plenty of time for him to call Aaron and to make up. And yet… Without Chrissie to act as a barrier between them, Robert was afraid of what it meant for him and Aaron. Trying to imagine himself openly dating a man was almost impossible to do. When he did manage to picture it, what he saw were the stares they were surely to get. Every time they showed up anywhere together, people would sneak in curious looks. He’d have to prepare himself for intrusive questions that he wasn’t sure he could answer. Strangers who had no right to ask would want to know when he had decided he liked men, and whether he was gay or bisexual.

Worse, he knew that even those who’d never ask it aloud would be wondering if he bottomed or topped. He wanted to be able to shrug it off. After all, whose business was it but his own if he liked to take it up the arse? Well, maybe it was Aaron’s business how Robert liked to take it. Groaning, Robert stopped his pacing and threw himself onto the giant bed. He buried his face in one of the pillows and tried hard not to think about how it had felt to be with Aaron before Chas and Chrissie had shown up. Of course, trying not to think about it made him think about it.

After nearly a week with only himself as company, his body was crying out for Aaron. He wanted to get in his car and speed back to Emmerdale. He wanted Aaron’s mouth and hands all over him to help chase away all these fears and to release the restless energy he couldn’t shake. His body knew exactly what it wanted, but Robert’s head was having a hard time accepting it.

But if he didn’t accept it, Aaron would leave him.

Sitting up, Robert grabbed his phone and searched for Aaron’s number. He’d saved it under A, as in, “Afraid my fiancee will find out I’ve slept with a man.” Well, that ship had sailed, hadn’t it? Taking a deep breath, he took a moment to edit the contact and fill in Aaron’s name properly. After saving the change, he pressed send and waited, getting nervous the longer the phone rang.

“Robert,” Aaron answered.

“Aaron,” he responded, anxiety easing a little. He was good at talking his way out of trouble. If Aaron was angry at him, he’d win him over again.

The other man was silent for a heartbeat. “I guess this call is your way of apologizing for being a prat without actually having to say anything?”

He almost took that as his cue to beg Aaron for forgiveness, but stopped himself just in time. It was something he’d do with Chrissie, because she liked to be lavished with attention and groveled to. Chrissie and Aaron were very different people, and he knew without a doubt that if he made a show of apologizing, the younger man would hang up on him. “I’d like to apologize in person,” he finally said.

“Does that mean you’re going to come back?”

“Does that mean you thought I wouldn’t come back?”

“It’s been six days, hasn’t it? Even Vic was starting to think you’d done a runner, and she doesn’t know all of it.” Robert guessed Aaron was referring to the fact that he’d been caught having an affair with a man instead of a woman like Vic would naturally assume. He couldn’t deny it was the main reason he hadn’t come back after the first night away. 

“Right. Well, I’ve not done a runner. Mostly I’ve been working and trying not to think.”

“Not a great way to begin the new year, is it.”

“Cheeky,” Robert said, amazed that he was feeling so much better. “Listen, I’ve got to check out of my room, but I’ll be there in an hour and a half.”

“I’ll see you then.”

“Aaron? Thanks for not making this, you know…”

“Difficult?” the other man guessed, voice soft. “Look, Robert, I don’t like that you ran off and decided to ignore me, but I get it. I did my best to cover it up when I realized I liked blokes.”

“What happened?” Robert asked, curious about Aaron.

“When I couldn’t hide it anymore, I lost it. Ended up battering a couple people I really cared about. I wasn’t proud of what I did, but even after I hurt them, it was still hard for me to admit who I was. Didn’t actually get around to accepting I was gay until I was in court for assault.”

“Driving off to spend a week in a fancy hotel suddenly seems tame,” Robert said. To his relief, Aaron laughed.

“A hotel, you said? How about I meet you there? We’ll have some privacy so we can talk.”

He found the idea of putting his return to Emmerdale to face Chrissie on hold for a little while longer appealing. “That sounds great.”

“And if you want to give me a proper apology, I think it might be more comfortable there. A bit awkward here, with my mum glaring and hovering. She’s been acting like she thinks I’ve hidden you under my bed this past week.”

Robert was having a hard time believing it was going this well, but his amazement didn’t stop him from giving Aaron the address to the hotel. The call ended with the other man promising to see him soon. Even if Aaron got in his car right then, it would still take him over an hour to get to the hotel. Robert stared at the phone in his hand. He should call Chrissie. Yes, he would call her… tomorrow. Right now his mind was on one thing, and he was having a hard time focusing on anything else.

He went out to buy condoms and lube in case this didn’t suddenly blow up in his face. It didn’t take him more than twenty minutes. When he got back to the hotel room, he quickly showered. For all that the phone call had gone well with Aaron - extremely well - he found himself getting nervous the longer he waited. Robert called housekeeping to tidy the room, then decided to straighten up in case Aaron got there first. He changed his shirt three times before he heard a knock at the door.

He really expected it to be housekeeping, but it was Aaron.

“You going to let me in?”

Robert realized he’d been standing there for a few seconds, staring. “Er, sorry, come in.” He couldn’t help but stare as the younger man walked past him and into the room. “That’s not exactly what I imagined you wearing,” he said as he shut the door. “It works for me.”

“You did say the hotel was fancy,” Aaron said with a shrug. He looked entirely too good, standing there in a black suit. Robert was rather fond of the hoodies, especially the purple one, but Aaron in a suit was in an entirely different league.

He knew they should probably take a few minutes to talk. A lot had happened since they had last spoken in Robert’s room at the pub, before all hell broke loose. Seeing Aaron in that suit changed his priorities. Robert came up behind him, grabbing hold of his waist and pressing himself against Aaron’s arse. He pressed a kiss to the side of the shorter man’s neck, enjoying the way it made him shiver.

Aaron turned to face him, grabbing hold of the lapels of Robert’s blazer and pulling him close. He tilted his face up, and Robert lowered his own so that their lips met, both of them hungry for the other. Aaron pushed at him, walking him backwards until his legs hit the side of the bed. Letting go of Aaron’s waist, Robert reached up to loosen the younger man’s tie. “This tie,” he said between kisses, “is the ugliest tie I’ve ever seen.”

“Borrowed it,” Aaron gasped, short of breath. Robert tossed the tie to the floor, then sat on the bed and grabbed the other man’s waist again, pulling him in to stand between Robert’s knees. He lifted his face to meet Aaron’s kisses, fingers working frantically at his belt and his fly. Finally he was able to pull Aaron’s trousers down his thighs and lower his black briefs down over his cock. 

Robert was about to lean forward and officially begin his apology to Aaron for ignoring him all week when a knock sounded at the door. He pulled back, venting a frustrated sigh. Housekeeping had finally showed up to tidy the room. Clearly spooked after the way it had ended last time they’d done this, Aaron hastily tucked himself back into his briefs, then pulled his trousers up. Robert was disappointed, but it wasn’t all that surprising. He would probably do the same if it was his trousers down around his thighs.

“It’ll be the housekeeping. Forget about it,” Robert tried to reassure him.

“Yeah, well get rid of them,” Aaron said, sounding uncomfortable. Robert stood and hurried to the door, straightening his own clothes as he walked.

Unlocking the door and pulling it open only slightly so that he could hide his excited lower body behind it, he said, “Yeah, we’re alright, thanks. We don’t need anything, so…”

The girl smiled and nodded at him, opening her mouth to say something that was probably polite and professional. Robert shut the door in her face and locked it again, impatient to get back to Aaron. When he returned, he found the younger man standing next to the bed, tense, as if he expected Chas or Chrissie to turn up. He puffed out a breath when he saw Robert was alone. “Sorry,” he apologized, looking uncertain. Robert was used to anger, passion, or even disinterest from Aaron. He had never seen Aaron look as vulnerable as he did then, not even when he’d confessed to having feelings for Robert.

“Hey,” Robert said, walking over to him and pulling him into a hug. The younger man hesitated before wrapping his arms around Robert’s waist and gripping the back of his blazer tightly. “Sorry, I should have called down and told them not to send anyone up.”

“It’s fine,” Aaron said, but he didn’t pull away. It was unexpectedly satisfying to feel that muscled body relax into him. Except for that one morning he had woken to find himself spooning Aaron while the younger man slept, their intimacy was always marked by the intensity of anger or desire. This was unchartered territory for them. Robert found himself tightening his arms around Aaron and burying his nose against his shoulder. He took in a deep breath. He had always liked the way Aaron smelled.

The younger man pulled back slightly so he could give Robert a questioning look. “Are you smelling me?”

“Maybe,” he admitted, embarrassed. He hadn't thought he was being that obvious about it. “I’ve always thought you smelled good. I just don’t normally get to stand this close to you.”

Aaron gave a small laugh. “Right, so what do I smell like? And don’t tell me a pansy or I’ll deck ya.”

“Ha ha,” Robert deadpanned. “Well, there’s a bit of fresh soap.”

“That’s because I bathe regularly,” Aaron whispered into his ear, like he was telling him a secret. Robert shivered at the feel of his warm breath against his ear.

“Mm,” Robert acknowledged, getting a bit distracted.

“What else?” Aaron prompted him.

“Engine oil.”

“You find that sexy do you?”

“I love cars.”

Aaron was silent for a moment, and Robert thought about what he’d said. It was risky, using that word while hugging his on-again off-again lover close. Thankfully Aaron let that pass. “So basically I smell like a clean mechanic. I’m not sure I want you getting near enough to smell Cain or Dan.”

“Are you afraid I might leave you for one of them?”

“Only because it seems to take so little to please you. Any mechanic will do, eh?”

“I have a thing for a certain grease monkey I know,” Robert said, amused at Aaron’s playfulness. He was really liking this new side to Aaron. His enjoyment ratcheted up a notch when the other man ran his hands down Robert’s back, past his waist to grope his arse.

“So this grease monkey you have a thing for, does he do anything for you in particular?”

“He occasionally orders new wing mirrors for me when I scrape them up,” Robert teased. He gasped when Aaron pinched both his cheeks, the sensation making him instinctively thrust his hips against the other man’s.

“Anything else?”

“He drives me crazy,” Robert said, voice coming out huskier than usual.

“In a good way?”

“Definitely,” he said, grinding against Aaron when the younger man used his grip on Robert’s backside to pull him in tightly so there was no space between them. He wanted nothing more than to pick up where they had left off before the interruption, but they should probably talk. “I’m all for seeing where this goes, but I kind of got the impression on the phone that you wanted to talk.”

Robert was more than a bit smug when Aaron seemed to struggle coming to a decision. “We should talk,” he finally agreed, without shifting his hands off of Robert’s arse.

“Then you’ll have to let go, or I’m going to shove you onto this bed and have my way with you.” Really, he couldn’t be blamed for not being able to focus on anything but getting Aaron into bed. Not when they were standing right next to the bed, and their bodies were pressed so closely together that it felt like they were glued to one another.

Aaron rolled his eyes at Robert. “I just need to know you’re not messing me around,” the younger man said, a hint of warning in his voice. “I think I made myself pretty clear the last time we spoke.”

Robert understood what Aaron was saying. He’d already told Robert he had feelings for him. He wanted something real, not meaningless sex. “Well,” Robert murmured, pushing Aaron down onto the bed. He climbed onto the mattress with him, then settled himself so he was straddling Aaron’s hips. “I’ve ruined my relationship with Chrissie for you, and I’m pretty sure the wedding in March is off. So yeah, I think it’s pretty clear I’m not messing you around.”

“So does this mean we’re…?” Aaron trailed off, as if waiting for Robert to fill in the blank.

“Dating?” Robert offered, a bit unsure himself. “Yeah, we are.”

“Officially, or secretly?” Aaron asked.

Robert stared at him in surprise. For a moment the idea of continuing to see Aaron secretly lulled him with the promise of allowing him to maintain his image. He immediately discarded the idea. As he’d already seen, secrets had a way of coming out. And was he really going to trust Chrissie to maintain her silence? It took him only a couple of seconds to decide, but the pause before he answered made Aaron look away, already certain he knew what Robert would say.

He moved against Aaron where he sat straddling him, demanding his attention. The younger man sucked in a breath at the motion, looking back up at Robert. “I want it to be official,” Robert said.

“You sure? I’m not going to be mad if you need more time.” Robert nodded. He knew Aaron wouldn’t be mad, but he was also not completely happy with the secrecy.

Robert rocked his hips, setting a slow pace as he said, “I’m sure.” Unwilling to wait any longer, he found Aaron’s lips with his and kissed him. It would have been easier to undress before getting on the bed, but there was a certain amount of fun in rolling around the mattress, trying to pull each other’s clothes off without breaking their kiss. Neither one of them had entirely managed by the time Robert grew impatient. He still had his shirt half on and his trousers around his ankles when he laid down next to Aaron and took them both in hand. He set a quick pace, coming quickly and hard. Robert lolled on the mattress after, breathless as Aaron finished himself off.

“You got my shirt!” Robert complained. It seemed Aaron had a thing for seeing Robert covered in his cum. He’d done it a few times now, but Robert had always been naked before.

“It’s not like you were going to wear that without washing it first anyway,” Aaron told him. He had a point. Robert finished unbuttoning his shirt, and then wiped himself off with it. He tossed it onto the floor, purposely not offering it to the other man so he could clean up too. “Nice,” Aaron said, sounding grumpy. It made Robert grin.

The two of them finished undressing, and then he crawled on top of Aaron again. He pinned his wrists to the bed and leaned down so their faces were close. “Are we good?” Robert asked, just wanting to make sure.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Aaron agreed, voice quiet. Robert kissed him, unable to get enough of his taste.

“Did you want to do something for New Year’s Eve?”

“Er, not if it involves getting out of bed.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Robert told him, pleased. He was very glad Aaron had chosen to come here. Tomorrow, he’d have to deal with the aftermath of Chrissie finding out about the affair. Today was his reprieve, and Robert had every intention of enjoying it to the fullest.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drumroll please! Final chapter! Hope you all enjoy =)

1 January 2015

Robert and Aaron opted for a late checkout. He knew why he wanted to delay his return to the village. Even though he knew he had to see Chrissie, he still had no clue what he was going to say to her. If he had to guess at Aaron’s motives, he’d say the younger man was reluctant to deal with Chas. Robert had no doubt that she was going to be upset that they were now together.

They drove back to Emmerdale in separate cars, and Robert was grateful for the chance to prepare himself in solitude for all the explaining he was going to have to do. It was actually a good thing he had the long car ride to brace himself, because they had no sooner entered the pub that the inquisition began.

“Robert, is that you?” Diane called out when he and Aaron walked in together. Sighing, Robert found her in the kitchen, where she had been washing dishes. “Thank goodness!” she exclaimed, turning off the running water and grabbing a towel to dry her hands with. “You were gone so long, and no one had heard from you.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Robert said. “I just needed time to clear my head.”

“Aaron,” Diane said, nodding to the younger man. She spotted Aaron’s overnight bag slung over his shoulder, then looked at the bag Robert had carried in. “You came in together?” she asked, confused.

“I’ll explain later,” Robert promised, feeling nervous. “Actually, do you mind giving Vic and Andy a call? Invite them over for tea. I think there are a few things you should all hear from me, and it’s easier to tell you all together.”

“So it’s true? You’ve had an affair?” Diane asked, looking grave.

“Later, Diane,” Robert said. She nodded, and went in search of her phone.

“We’re still good?” Aaron asked after Robert took a deep breath and ran a nervous hand through his hair.

“Yeah, we’re good,” he confirmed. He didn’t exactly want to have a coming out, but he’d promised Aaron they’d be official. He also didn’t trust Chrissie to keep his secret for long. He was actually a bit surprised she hadn’t blabbed the news in a fit of anger, in an attempt to embarrass him. Whatever the reason for her choice to keep the details of his affair quiet, eventually she’d throw it in his face. He knew her. Robert preferred to tell his family on his own terms.

“Let’s unpack,” Aaron suggested. Robert nodded, and they were about to leave the kitchen and head toward the stairs when Chas came in.

“Aaron! Where have you been?” Robert and Aaron traded glances. It was pretty obvious Aaron had been with him. “No,” Chas said, shaking her head, refusing to accept it. “No, this is a bad idea. He’s not in-”

“Not now, mum!” Aaron hissed at her as Diane came back in.

“Alright, love, I’ve called Vic and Andy. They’ll be here within the hour. I hope that’s fine?”

“Sounds great,” Robert lied.

Chas was looking at him in horror, guessing that he planned to tell them all he was seeing her son. “Aaron, can I talk to you upstairs?” she asked, voice bright as she attempted to sound cheerful.

“Are you alright, Chas?” Diane asked. “You sound a bit off.”

“Perfectly alright, thanks, Diane. Aaron? Upstairs?” Looking aggravated, Aaron followed her to the stairs. Robert came with, but when she noticed him climbing the stairs after them, she stopped so she could turn and glare down at him. “I want a word with my son alone.”

“I still have to go up and unpack, don’t I?” he asked impatiently. She curled her lip at him, like he was something disgusting she had just stepped in, but she turned back around and continued up the stairs. Robert ducked into the guest room as she and Aaron continued further down the hall to Aaron’s bedroom.

The cleaners and installers he’d hired while he was away had done a good job. He could only pick out the faintest smell of cologne when he walked in. The room looked fuller than it had before, now that a larger bed was taking up floor space. Robert wondered how much time he’d actually spend sleeping on it after he told his family about Aaron. Would they start sharing a room? Was it too early for that? Aaron hadn’t seemed to mind Robert sleeping over before, but maybe that was different than having Robert move his things in.

Tired of the way he kept finding new things to worry about, he laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Yes, in an hour he’d have to look his family in the eyes and tell them he’d had an affair with a man, who he was now dating, but the silver lining was that regardless of how it went, he’d be sleeping like a baby tonight. The new mattress was that comfortable.

*****

“Can you pass the potatoes?” Robert asked Vic. She hurried to grab the dish and hand it to him.

“Does anyone else find it a bit weird that we’re ignoring the elephant in the room?” Andy finally asked.

“Shush!” Diane scolded him, but Robert was glad he’d spoken up. He had expected someone to ask him about Chrissie. When they had simply settled down at the table with Robert and Aaron, and then tucked into their meal, he hadn’t quite known what to do. He probably should have just brought the topic up himself, but he had been counting on someone’s curiosity to help him start the discussion. Instead, they had sat for fifteen minutes, engaging in small talk as Robert’s tension grew.

“No, it’s alright Diane,” Robert said, glancing at Aaron for reassurance. Those blue eyes met his, and Aaron nodded at him once in support. They had discussed it beforehand, and he’d almost decided it would be better if the younger man were not present. Now he was glad he’d asked Aaron to be there. He looked as uncomfortable as Robert did, and misery loved company.

“Robert will tell us when he’s ready,” Vic said warningly, giving Andy a pointed look. Honestly, Robert was more than a little surprised that she wasn’t leading the questions. Vic was normally so nosy.

“We all know what he’s going to say,” Katie spoke up. Robert had been doing a decent job at pretending she wasn’t there, seated between Andy and Diane. It put her almost directly across from him, so he’d mostly just looked down at his plate and ignored her after his initial outburst when he saw her walk in with Andy.

“Katie,” Diane said warningly. As usual, she was trying to mediate between them all. Sugden family gatherings were never without conflict.

“So,” Katie said, ignoring Diane. “How long have you been having an affair?”

“That’s what I want to know.”

Robert dropped his fork, and it clattered loudly against his plate. He got to his feet and turned around. Chrissie had just walked in through the bar, with Chas hot on her heels. The older woman was clearly worried Chrissie would create trouble for Aaron.

“Chrissie…” he trailed off, not ready for this conversation yet. He’d had it all planned out. He was going to have tea with his family, explain things to them, and then call Chrissie and meet her at Home Farm. She wasn’t supposed to barge in before he could even find the nerve to confess everything to his family!

“I’ve been dying to know,” Chrissie said, tossing her hair and coming to a stop in front of him. “I’ve been wanting to ask you that for a week now. Luckily I saw your car out front, or I never would have known you were back. I did guess you’d come crawling back into town soon when I noticed _he_ had disappeared too,” she said, giving Aaron a look full of hate. Robert glanced back at the younger man, and as he did he caught the others looking at Aaron with curiosity. They had all been wondering what he was doing there at their family tea, but no one had wanted to ask after Aaron had been the one to calm Robert down after Katie walked in.

“I’m sorry I’ve ignored your calls, but I was going to see you after I finished here,” Robert said, turning back to Chrissie. Her hand struck his cheek before he could finish turning his face toward her. Robert could hear chair legs scraping the floor as he raised his hand to his stinging face. He wasn’t surprised when he felt Aaron come up behind him. Robert raised his right hand, signalling Aaron to stop. He didn’t actually think the younger man would attack Chrissie, but better safe than sorry.

“Oh, is Aaron going to protect you?” Chrissie asked scathingly. “Should I be scared?”

“Yeah, maybe you should be,” Aaron said.

“Aaron!” Chas cautioned him. She came around Chrissie so she could stand next to her son.

“This is getting ridiculous!” Robert exclaimed. He turned toward Aaron and said, “Just back off, please! Let me handle this.”

He probably should have learned from the first time, but he was still surprised when Chrissie slapped him again as he turned to face her. She was not pulling her blows either. Robert had taken punches that hurt less.

“That’s enough!” Vic cried, coming to join Aaron by standing at Robert’s other side. “I know he’s hurt you, but you’re not going to get answers if you keep hitting him!”

“Oh, shut up!” Chrissie yelled, getting ugly. “You don’t know anything!”

“Alright, Chrissie! We’ll go to yours and talk,” Robert interrupted before Vic could say anything back.

“I don’t think so! I’m not letting you anywhere near my house! And just so you know, I’ve changed the locks since you weren’t around to give me your keys.

“Look, I’ll answer your questions, but not here. Not like this.”

“Oooh!” Chrissie said slowly, exaggerating the word to make it sound like she’d just come to a big realization. “I get it now. You don’t want them to know, is that it?”

“Know what?” Katie asked. She was predictably eager to hear any dirt someone had on Robert.

Chrissie ignored her. “You’re ashamed, is that it?” she asked him. “You should be! What you did to me was disgusting! I will never forgive you, Robert, never!”

“Chrissie, please,” he said, just trying to calm her down. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Sorry? You think sorry is going to make it better? I loved you! I was going to marry you!” She laughed humorlessly then, even as she started to cry. “No, you know what, I’m glad this happened. I’m glad I found out before I married you. I can’t believe I was such an idiot. My dad warned me about you, but I didn’t want to hear it. I was so blind! Do you know, I was even going to marry you without a prenup. I was that sure about you. Tell me, was it about my money? Is that why you were going to marry me?”

“Chrissie, no,” he said. “I love you! You know that!”

“I know that?” she asked, incredulous. “Robert, you cheated on me! That’s not love!”

“But I do love you! Chrissie, you have to believe that.”

Aaron scoffed from where he stood just behind him. Robert looked over his shoulder in surprise, only to find the younger man shaking his head angrily. “I can’t believe this,” Aaron said. It was only when Aaron started to walk away, with his mum following him and shooting angry glares at Robert over her shoulder that he realized it sounded like he was trying to make up with Chrissie, to win her over.

“Aaron, wait!” Robert called out after him. When the younger man didn’t stop, Robert went after him. “That’s not what I meant! Aaron, I didn’t mean it like that, please.”

Chrissie was right behind Robert as he went after the younger man. “Yes, Aaron, wait here and see what Robert has to say. Apparently he can’t stand to see you leave!” By then Aaron had reached the stairs and climbed them. Robert took them two at a time, wanting to catch up before the younger man could get to his bedroom and lock Robert out. Chrissie stopped on the first step and yelled up the stairs at them. “Don’t run away, Aaron! Apparently he can’t be without you even long enough to finish a conversation with his fiancee so he can try to explain WHY HE HAD AN AFFAIR WITH A MAN!”

Robert wasn’t in the room to see his family’s reaction to that, but he imagined their expressions were spectacular.

He found he didn’t care what they were thinking. Robert barely made it to Aaron’s door in time to stop it from slamming shut. He slotted his foot in the door jamb, swearing when the door squished it. “Aaron, please!” he begged. Chas was standing there next to him, looking worried. He guessed that Aaron hadn’t let her come in with him.

“I told you, Robert,” Aaron said. “I told you I didn’t want to be messed around.”

“I wasn’t,” Robert promised. “Aaron, please, just let me in. Please. I wasn’t trying to get back with her, I just wanted her to know I didn’t ask her to marry me because I was after her money.” Her money had been a perk, and he couldn’t deny he enjoyed the lifestyle, but Chrissie had lavished him with gifts from the beginning. The Audi he drove had been her present to him on their six month anniversary when they were dating. He would never have proposed if he hadn’t loved her.

“Don’t leave him alone in there,” Chas whispered to Robert, distracting him.

“What?”

“Please, don’t leave him alone. I- he might… I’m worried he might cut himself,” she said quietly. She had never liked Robert, but her hatred of him was put aside as she looked pleadingly up at him.

“Aaron!” Robert shouted, shoving at the door. He ended up flying in as the door met with no resistance. Apparently Aaron had heard Chas from the other side of the door and had stopped trying to close it on Robert’s foot.

“Mum, I wasn’t going to do anything,” Aaron said, sounding frustrated as Robert straightened up.

“I’m sorry, love, but I worry,” she said, looking at him anxiously.

“I haven’t,” he assured her. “I won’t. So can you both just leave me alone now?”

“No,” Robert said, grabbing Aaron’s arm so he didn’t try to get away. “Look, I’m standing here, with you. Not with Chrissie. I wasn’t trying to make up with her, okay?” Robert glanced at Chas, who showed no sign of leaving. “Sorry, Chas,” Robert said as he grabbed the door and closed it in her face. He locked it, just in case, but he was relieved when she didn’t try the doorknob.

“Let go of my arm, Robert,” Aaron told him.

“No, not until you tell me we’re still good.”

Aaron took a deep breath, and it almost looked like he was counting to ten, trying to reign in his temper. “Yes, we’re fine!” He said the words, but he sounded annoyed.

“I’m not sure I believe you,” Robert said.

“Well, you either let my arm go or I make you.”

He was tempted to hold on. Sometimes their fights ended in a steamy bout of sex, and Robert was always in the mood. In the end, he decided to let go because he really didn’t want Aaron irritated or angry at him, and he’d already told Robert that they were fine. “Okay, I’m letting you go,” Robert said, then reluctantly did so. “Now can we just talk? I need to know we’re still good.”

“I already said, didn’t I?” Shaking his head, Aaron walked across the room and sat on his bed. “We’re fine, but you can’t blame me for getting the wrong impression down there.”

“I didn’t realize how it sounded until you got angry,” Robert assured him. “It’s over between me and Chrissie. I know that.”

“But you’re not over her, are you?” Aaron guessed, looking into Robert’s face as if he’d read the answer there. “If it had been up to you, you’d never have left her.”

“Aaron,” Robert said, as he came over to sit next to the younger man. “I was going to marry her, but I’m glad I didn’t. I’m still getting used to it, to this. I thought I had my life figured out. It was secure, and safe. I was going to have a wife, a comfortable job, money, cars, a big house. Now it’s gone and I have to get used to my little bedroom in my step-mum’s pub. Lawrence is going to try to fire me from my job, even though I’m signed on for two years. And if I stay for the two years, they’re going to make my life hell. It’s a lot to adjust to.”

“So you do regret this,” Aaron said.

“No,” Robert told him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I know I told you before that I only slept with you in the first place because I thought you were attractive.”

“I think you called me a good looking man,” Aaron reminded him. “It was a first for me. Never been called that before.”

“Well, you are. You’re smoking hot,” Robert added, feeling Aaron start to relax against him. “I couldn’t exactly resist you, could I? But I was thinking about it, and I remembered that I always wanted to be your friend too. I just liked being around you, even when you were scowling at me. Yeah, like that,” Robert said as Aaron frowned at him.

“Is this going somewhere?” Aaron asked.

“I’m trying to tell you I fancied you from the start,” Robert said. “Still do.”

Aaron laughed at that, bringing his face in close to Robert’s. “Good.”

“You’re not going to say it back?”

“You already know I do.”

“Alright, play hard to get. I like it,” Robert said. He pressed their lips together, feeling like everything was going to be alright as long as Aaron was with him. Pulling away, Robert whispered, “You think they’ll hear us if we go to my room and try out the new bed?”

“Does it matter if they do?” Aaron asked.

Robert thought about it for a second. Everyone who mattered now knew that they were together. It wasn’t a secret anymore. There was no need to sneak around. He and Aaron were now a couple, and if they wanted to have wild, loud sex in the privacy of their bedroom, there was nothing stopping them. Yes, he’d have to deal with staring and questions as people around the village got used to the fact that he was now dating a man, but eventually those would go away.

What wasn’t going to go away was Aaron. He’d stick by Robert through all the stares, and the questions. He’d support Robert through whatever hell Chrissie and Lawrence cooked up for him between them. And he’d be there if Robert did lose his job. Robert could still invest into Aaron and Adam’s business with the bonus Lawrence had given him, and help them build it into something great.

“Robert?” Aaron said, looking at him with those incredible blue eyes of his. Robert leaned in and kissed him deeply, feeling a sense of rightness that he couldn’t ever remember feeling before.

“Let’s go christen that bed,” Robert said, enjoying the way Aaron smiled at him.

“Alright,” the younger man agreed. “I’m letting you know now that I’ve got plans for you in that bed. It might take us a few hours to do it all. And you may have trouble walking tomorrow.”

Robert snorted in amusement. “As long as you’re there to help me walk, I’m up for it.”

“I’ll be there for you,” Aaron promised, giving him a quick kiss before standing and pulling Robert up after him.

“I know you will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your wonderful comments and all the kudos. This story has been so much fun to write. Hope you've all enjoyed it and are happy with how it ended!


End file.
